the following is Kumaran Pillai’s speech delivered at TOC’s ‘Give up your seat‘ by Chong Ai Ling:
–
Who would have ever thought that the public transport would be the Achilles Heel of our present meritocratic government? Even George Cherian said, immediately after the May hustings that, the public transport woes could be fixed by a technocratic team and GE2011 has only awakened the sleeping giant and that our government would respond positively to the feedback from the ground. Unfortunately, matters have only become worse.
Their initial response was promising though; Tuck Yek was seen riding on the trains and buses which gained some positive response from the public. He was seen to be rolling up his sleeves and getting down and dirty. I used to wonder as to what a minister would be able to ascertain from these rides. In local lingo, it is called wayang, a show to appease the public, but, a show is only as good as its actors. And, I thought to myself that this actor was missing the plot altogether. The plot was simple, to have an efficient transport system to move the masses.
It is telling that there is no feedback system in place when the Minister has to resort to taking trains and buses to ascertain the robustness of our transport network. Perhaps, he should have also stayed in a train with the air-condition turned off for two hours just to find out how it feels and take a walk in the MRT tunnels as part of his field trip.
As for the recent breakdowns and the Ministry of Transport’s response is nothing less than pathetic. Lui wants to assemble a team of local and international experts to study the problem. Seriously, do we need to seek outside help after running the system for 20 years? This is yet another wayang exercise just to appease us. The proposed course of action, by itself, has opened up serious competency issues about SMRT’s management. It makes me wonder if they even have a handle on the situation. If so, why did the train(s) breakdown again this morning, Saturday 17th of December 2011?
This clearly shows that the current management team does not have its core competence in managing the train fleet and the infrastructure. In fact, what we seen in the last few years are the development of SMRT land and retails malls. I thought it was a great idea back then, that SMRT was maximising the land space in Singapore. But the key question in my mind today is whether if SMRT has lost its core competency in the management of the train network while it was developing new and alternative revenue streams in the retail space? Has the organisation lost its best engineers because of the management’s pre-occupation with building new revenue streams?
It is time for the Board of Directors to rationalise their business. The choice is obvious, SMRT is in the transport business and should focus its energies and resources solely on that. SMRT management should either spin off or manage the retail business by a subsidiary organisation or even consider divesting so that it does not take up any valuable time and resource from the management team.
While there are many people who call for the resignation of the CEO, the underlying reason should be to bring in a new head that will have a critical focus in ensuring that our transport network meets our basic transport needs. What SMRT needs now is a technocratic CEO with excellent operational experience to overcome the current crises.
Unfortunately, wayang and getting a team of experts may be just too late to deal with the breakdowns. What is need now is a swift and steadfast action.
HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!
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After all that has happened, the CEO of SMRT stated that she wants to resign so as to shoulder all these responsiblity. Fact is, after all the salary she has taken as the role of CEO, she should clear the mess before she clears the shit out. Else why have we been paying her for the past few years? So that she can generate a pile of shit and leave it to the next CEO to clear?
Ying quan, maybe you shld note the concept of sunk cost. She shld be sacked in shame, as a punishment.
Totally agree with the learned author. The current SMRT leadership has proven that it’s unable to deliver to the masses a seamless, problem-free mass transit system. It should, perhaps, consult the Hong Kong MTRC? In my 7 years in Hong Kong, I had not experienced a single technical glitch. That’s testimony to the excellent management edge that Hong Kong obviously has. As a Singaporean, it’s a painful truth that I have to swallow. But the truth can be such a bitch, can’t it?
The one to step down first is LTY-
While we may say that Saw has not done enough, LTY is one level above her- He has done NOTHING at all, other than act Wayang take bus take train and only to go ahead to raise fare after that.
How can the current SMRT CEO who only has retail business background manage a public transportation company? We only see more retail spaces added to MRT stations over these years but MRT service quality has been on the declining while they been justifying fare like nobody business, The “Income Oppotunity” taxi onscreen message tells a lot what SMRT is only after our money money after all but heck care service level.
We need Tan Jee Say to head SMRT, given his track record he is the best person to take over SMRT.
Guan yin pu sha, help us pls thanks
‘Cronyism” is how she got there in the first place !
Who says there is “No Corruption” in Singapore ?
Who says there is no “Cronyism” in Singapore ?
It is right smack infront of your face every day !
Except that “Black can become white”
You “dafts” have “No say”
60% endorses it !
40% ? Lan ,lan
Time to “reclaim” your rights & Pride .
Failures of MRT due to same fault in 3 days, could it be a deliberated sabotage?
Since SMRT is a private entity, how come a public inquiry is convened at taxpayers’ cost to look into its business? How come taxpayers’ money is used to repair damaged rail network and trains? Can the honourable K Shanmugam please enlighten the general public on why a private company must be rescued by the government?
Btw & in the meantime ,wat has our PM do, done or say ?????
No Comments ?
or
We are truely Sorry again ?
Do we find SMRT very similar to the inbreeding thinking like this PAP government in running this country with growing at all cost !!
The SMRT board is staffed with all ex-government and present pap people… all alike, thinks alike and just wants to maximise profits and grow at all cost..
What can i say ???
The CEO is a close friend of The Daughter In Law !!!
Can SMRT or LTY tell us (make it public) the Specification for the load capacity of each train compartment? There is a stipulated number of persons a van can take, a stipulated number of passengers a bus can accomodate,which the authority made it mandatory to have it written on the side of the vehical.Then tell us what is the maximum number of persons each train compartment can teke?
Please tell us the Truth. Please reply . Please dont ignore this and keep quiet.
(If LTY as a minister does not know, SMRT pls reply)
PM LHL should resign.
I believe if LTK or CSJ is PM they would have resign the day the MRT break down.
SMRT can give it a shot. There is a chance that the transport system will improve if a technocrat is employed to oversee its operation. He/She should preferably come from the civil service. His/Her sense of duty and loyalty to the country is more likely to ensure that he/she serves the collective interest of all Singaporeans rather than just guarding the interests of shareholders.
Agree with the author’s point that a technocratic CEO – presumably with a strong transport management or engineering background – would probably do a better job. The question is: why isn’t such a person in the position in the first place? Why was someone retrenched from running a chain of duty free shops put in charge of public transport? Why was she thought competent for the job in the first place? No wonder SMRT focused on building retail outlets in its stations over the past few years – thats probably the only thing its CEO knows how to do. So why is she there? Is there any truth to the allegation that she was recommended by the Prime Minister’s wife? If it is, it speaks volumes about the cosy links between SMRT and the government and about cronyism among our elites. If it isn’t, the existence of the allegation points to a cynical lack of trust between Singaporeans and the government.
And sp, in this vein, Minister Lui’s proposal was indeed “pathetic”, as the author puts it – but also suggestive. The proposal to convene an international panel suggests either
(i) we have no local expertise (which I don’t believe)
OR
(ii) we have no local experts that the public can trust to be impartial and Minister Lui knows this. Which was why he hastened to assure the public that there will be international (presumably disinterested) experts.
Calling on international expert to validate Singapore’s good governance is a pretty old trick that the Singapore government pulls out of its bag again and again when necessary. It had already started doing that in the SMRT case – the day after the breakdowns; news “broke” that SMRT is considered top in corporate governance through a “US based study” (see: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_745994.html) ie. the state is saying – “look people! impartial people says we are good! there is no systemic problems!”
Yeah, right. Who still buys that argument?
These are all symptoms of bigger problems with Singapore’s previously pragmatic and “incorruptible” form of governance. The Singaporean public is losing its trust in the government – and rightly so, in my opinion. MInister Lui has a much bigger problem than 3 train breakdowns in 4 days if he would open his eyes to it instead of focusing his energies on damage control.
It’s very simple, all he/she has to come clean and simply that our transit system cannot handle 6 million and additional trains during peak periods. Again, it is not an engineering or technical problem, it’s pure common sense.
However, the greatest tragedy is that it’s simply not what the boses or minister wants to hear. It has to have all the three qualities – Cheaper (no additional maintainence costs), better (100% uptime) and faster (additional mileage during peak periods). can you really have your cake and eat it too?
Singapore transport woes is set to increase when the very organisation Singaporeans trust to run the mass transportation lost its way and focused on retail. While the retail business may be raking in the profits for SMRT, the retailers themselves have been suffering losses, judging from past press reports about the failure of alot of retailers who setup shop at MRT retail spaces only to realise that they paid city area rents (as marketed by SMRT) but did not reap the benefits of city traffic, unlike those retail spaces managed by professional retail management like Capitaland, which is their core business. SMRT, please find your way back to your core business, for the sake of Singapore.
Over promise Underdeliver
Singapore PM promises to improve public transport — National Day Rally 2010
http:// http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD_0bgDuLbk&feature=youtube_gdata_player
PM Lee say only but They don’t change isn’t
It means for so many years she has been taking millions of salaries to eventually created all these problems ranging from security lapses, to mismanagement of operational readiness, to miscommunications, poor public relations and you name it, she had it all that have happened and put SMRT in very bad lights.
I don’t know what else to say to her and her other senior team.
These are the possible reasons for the MRT’s recent spate of breakdowns.
a) the technical glitches pointed out by the SMRT
b) possible neglect by one or two ministers in charge especially when they had multiple portfolios
c) the system was not meant to cope with so many users, particularly with the influx of so many foreigners
d) patchwork and knee-jerk reactions to the congestion building up along certain lines
e) instead of focusing on running an efficient MRT system, its management got sidetracked into other non-core activities
f) incompetence of its staff from the CEO downwards (maybe including the whole board itself)
g) inability of its management to see that the transport system is people-oriented: people rely on the trains (and buses and taxis) to go to work and need immediate information should there be any problem; there must always be a team able to convey messages at any time and without delay; its feedback system too must be impeccable
Check out the qualifications and backgrounds of the CEOs of PUB, HDB,Telecoms, LTA,SLA,MAS and other statutory boards that provide a technical service.Except for the PUB and MAS, all are headed by CEOs who do not have relevant qualifications for the line of service they provide.
In a highly technical line like the SMRT which involves intense engineering knowledge, the person who heads it must be equal to the technicality. Instead we find a retail expert heading the SMRT. I recall that the first CEO was a technocrat.
Nowadays it seems that high posts are given to those as reward or in virtue of family tie or other extraneous association.
Let take a loot at the three musketeers and how they are handling the fiasco.
LTY (minister for transport) is completely lost but put on a brave front by appearing in mrt stations.
CEO SMRT looks completely inept which is expected because her specialty is running retail shops but not trains
Josephine Teo ( minister of state transport) is completely missing in the picture.
What a joke!
The topic of family and friendship ties for top jobs is dynamite. Yet it is an aspect of the rapidly declining service in public goods in Singapore over 50 years of PAP hegemony.
SMRT needs all the tough regulatory framework on its neck, so much talk about regulating the internet when existing regulators cannot even perform to standards.
only the best & most robust kind will do! must be world class standard understand?! world class means measured against the best of the best, numero uno!
:D
Singaporeans should not expect disruption-free public transport system, it is unavoidable and no amount of engineering could solve it.
My observations:
1. The wayang continues. The minister for transport could have already called for the committee of inquiry, but the PM has to cut short his leave to order a walk-through tonight.
2. CEO SMRT should have been fired for the security breach a couple of years ago and not be allowed to hang around to cause more damage. She is too technically challenged to run SMRT.
3. SMRT is very profitable. However, we now know that commuter safety (e.g. not having a working incident management plan), service levels (e.g. no redundant systems) have been compromised. The important question is whether these important items have been sacrificed in favor of profitability.
4. Along with SMRT, the regulator LTA has also failed. Coordination between the different modes of transportation is dismal, e.g. bus routes were cancelled where there was ample demand even as new MRT stations came into service, leaving wide gaps in the coverage.
5. Many of the older lines run on single tracks. The present plan is to upgrade the signaling systems to attain higher train frequencies. This will already cost more than $1 billion. THIS IS ASKING FOR TROUBLE. The upgraded signaling system will be more complex, and more prone to catastrophic failure at higher train frequencies (cf. recent train collision in Wenzhou, China).
6. The more prudent approach is to extend the single tracks to double tracks to eliminate the need for crossings. It also allows greater room for expansion of service in the future. This approach is more expensive but it is necessary. Why has LTA/MOT put a price on safety?
The initial tagline of MRT was ‘smooth, safe and comfortable ride’. With accelerated influx of
foreigners all these had long been compromised.
The trains are overloaded causing stress on the tracks especially when they are negotiating bends. You can hear the frictional noise and feel the heavy mechanical stress on tracks between Raffles Place and Tg Pagar stations.
People are crammed, sharing body heat, with little space left; adversely affecting ventilation.
On many occasions trains have to come to an abrupt halt due to mechanical faults like doors cannot open due to misalignment causing a chain effect on trains coming from behind.
The whole system is now showing signs of more disruptions and mishaps that one day it might claim lives of passengers by the thousands.
An important aspect of safety is the evacuation system at the stations. How many emergency exits do we see? Are they adequate?
It’s time to overhaul the system. Be proactive, not reactive. The government must not lose its moral authority to protect the people as it is very clear now they are losing trust due to the latter’s failure to listen sincerely and act accordingly.
correction:
…..they are losing trust due to the government’s failure…..
no, they need to be PAID MILLIONS MORE, JUST LIKE OUR MINISTERS
FOR SCREWING YOU ALL MORE OFTEN !!!
SPEAK THE TRUTH OF MY MIND – I would NEVER buy a share in a mineral exploration entity if its Board comprises only of finance and legal expertise – FOR DAMNED FOOKING GOOD REASONS.
It has to include a geologist with a power punch of experiences behind him/her and better still with a track record of prior discoveries in different geological terrain.
Likewise, I WILL NOT INVEST in an investment trust of global diversified stocks managed by a scientist or a lawyer, a engineer, a pilot, a home economist or a nuclear physicist with no prior track record of successful investing. I am NOT giving him or her my money for him or her to enjoy gambling.
I CAN DO THAT MYSELF in Crown Casino in Sydney or RWS casino in Singapore without the assistance of any other.
ONLY in SINGAPORE :
Breast doctor – Defence Minister
Eye doctor – Environment and water minister
Audit staff , now GPC of Home affairs
Now, retrenched DFS staff running SMrT, my goodness, what is happening here !
Square peg in round hole !
……
There are quite a few CEO in Temasek linked companies, GLC that are chosen due to their links to the ruling party
. Sad.sad…
Meritocracy? You mean married -to- cracy or. Connect-o-cracy ?
This is a sad situation in Singapore.!!
can an independent party come up with a webchart of people at the helms of govt ministries, depts, agencies and GLCs.
@Steve Wu
“5. Many of the older lines run on single tracks. The present plan is to upgrade the signaling systems to attain higher train frequencies. This will already cost more than $1 billion. THIS IS ASKING FOR TROUBLE. The upgraded signaling system will be more complex, and more prone to catastrophic failure at higher train frequencies (cf. recent train collision in Wenzhou, China).”
I understand that our MRT running to two tracks when they were build?
“I am afraid the global weather has change permanently and is causing significant faster wear and tear to the mrt tracks than originally anticipated. No amount of engineering will completely eradicate all future outbreaks. Singaporeans have to be realistic and cope with a more ridden prone MRT in the future”
Seems parts of the aging MRT system is now being strained beyond its limits, to cope with the huge, uncontrolled influx of foreigners into Singapore in recent years. Will Singapore’s other key public utilities/services suffer the same fate?
Disappointing that our government/ public servants no longer seem capable of looking ahead to pre-empt & nip such issues in the bud – contrary to what (as we are often told) they are supposed to be so good at doing. Hopefully, public service standards have not collapsed & gone down the drain. Perhaps they should now stop (i) claiming and pretending they are the best in the world; (ii) overrating and overpaying themselves the highest salaries in the world, comfortable in their iron rice bowls & vested interests; and (iii) refusing to hold themselves accountable and fire their own kind who cannot perform, unlike the private sector.
Passing the buck to the operator & blaming SMRT will not solve the problem. Singaporeans look to the government to look after something as basic as public transport services in our small & over-crowded island. We need to get around & survive. It is the end result (total reliability, minimal cost) that matters –whatever the regulation framework. The government may not be investing enough to support our existing & overused MRT system, & takes the easy way of simply passing the buck to the operator each time something happens.
Life for the rest of us ordinary folks (minus those highly overrated & overpaid public servants) is difficult enough already with ever rising costs of living in Singapore, as we do all we can to try to get to work, keep our jobs and feed our families. Do not expect Singaporeans to be in a forgiving mood.
Singaporeans,
Honestly, i am very disgusted n disappointed with you all!
You like to BELIEVE , assume and regard yourselves as first world , high standard n well educated which should translate into ability to ANALYSE, dissect, QUESTION.
But i see the opposite in you!
All their claims should be checked n balanced in a beyond doubt manner. What is stopping Opposition takung part in Check n Balance??!
It actually you the people!
We cannot expect them to allow their competitors to check their closets but this does not mean oppo should not. Oppo is part of parliamentary system of our constitution.
They are not your competitors. They are there to SERVE YOU.
Let them do their job by performing Check n Balance. You so called educated people never seem to demand they be allowed to do so for you.
Oppo needs your mandate .
Systems have begun showing cracks.
I hold you kia su people accountable!
Joserbine Teo Gao Kan
Which honest man tells people he is an honest man?
agreed with the author’s call for lty(and i’d add the whole of smrt management team) to try staying in a train with the air-con turned off for two hours and take a walk in the MRT tunnels as part of their field trip.
every sane true blue singaporean (papies cronies excluded) would fully agree with the contents of this article.
getting a team of experts is truly too late at this juncture. it’s really all wayang now.
pity lhl. while woody inherited a pot of gold from the old guards, lhl inherited from woody a load of stinky accumulated shit that has been swept under the carpet during his whole term in office.
if only lhl dares to let go his ego, and take swift action now to remove all woody’s cronies and even seek the help of real good passionate men from the alternative parties then will there be light at the end of the tunnel.
mark my words, as long as woody’s cronies and all those who were mentored during his term in office (the spoilt dead wood kids) are still in important positions, we can anticipate more tragedies and system failures to come.
People want real change. They want to put a stop all all the persistent fare increases to feed on the current legalized corruptions and cronyism going on in the name of leadership and meritocracy and manipulated hard (half) truths or rule of law.
Let the people stay united to demand such a major change not be overwhelmed by technical issues that may be put up to further delay such change.
Hmm….maybe Gerard Ee …. again?
If we rewind the videos, we hear them say the UPS lasts only ard 2 hours. The passengers were trapped 5 hours!
Why smrt did not break glass for them?
Left to die?
Train operator dun know?
No SOP?
Sia suay like shit man!
First world?!?
Kanasai!
Time for a complete overhaul of the Singapore public transport system. There is so much frustration even without the current spate of MRT boo-boos:
- Bus services (delays, losing the way, accidents)
- Taxis (drivers and passengers unhappy over service, fares and earnings)
- MRT (over-crowding, security lapses declining services and now major breakdowns. Not to mention fare inceases)
If we treat each service to be a business, then Spore is on the wrong track and it will boomerang at the elections. CEOs and top management are rewarded for generating profits and I wonder how much attention is actually paid to MRT maintenance, safety and services. There is no guideline for capping the profit from Operations. In fact, there is more glory in commercial activities to raise revenue.
Singapore can talk down to its citizens. When it comes to justifying the official position, then can selectively quote from various local and overseas sources. And you protest or disagree at your own personal and perhaps family risk.
This series of breakdowns is an eye-opener. The suspension of Tiger Air by Australian authorities was an eye-opener too. Spore better re-assess its way of managing the public transport system and other services.
The dissatisfaction will only grow and grow and God knows what it will lead to.
If one looks through SMRT annual reports over the years,it is obvious that this is a technical corporation which is very short of engineering expertise since the current CEO assumed her position.
I remember days when engineering guys like Tan Hup Foi,RADM (RET) Kwek Siew Jin,Mr Boey Tak Hap,they were all engineering people and performed quite well.
Suspend all affected lines for one full week and make thorough checks and tests before resuming them. Schools are reopening soon. Greater safety
measures needed.
Don’t worry about the influx of foreigners. Worry about the influx of internationl experts to put things right for us. Lately, how many commitees with international experts have we formed to find solution to our problems? Everytime we have a problem, we form a commitee with internaionl experts! We are utterly so useless!
Many wayang in the recent saga. Do they need to do it? What is required to be done, did they do it? For example, when commuters are told to alight due to a train fault? Did they wayang by addressing the problems early. No point to wayang to prove LTY point that the system is Sound n robust. Is he trying to gain political points by doing it??? Singaporeans are intelligent n reasonable to assess what is right from wrong??
Absolute Failure of the Worse kind possible.
SMRT ! shame on you!
Failure After FAILure After FAILURE!!!!
Epic!
How much failure do you want us to Accomodate your high profits and salaries with hikes after hikes?
If you were government I would have voted you out!
Incompetence Exemplified by example.
This should be taught to the world WHAT NOT to LEARN FROM.
neigh..smrt just need a new foreign talent from either europe or the new york subway
a number 2 man would be fine and their annual salary requirement? a near 700,000 british sterlin pounds(includin bonuses)
denzel washington is 1 good xmaple..not only can he control the train..he can also do a tom cruise train rooftop dancin as well..our dfs smrt ceo can do that?