The Price Of Justice

For spray painting 2 SMRT train cars and trespassing, Swiss national Oliver Fricker was sentenced to 5 months in jail and 3 strokes of the cane. It could have been worse.

The 32-year-old could have been jailed 3 years, fined $2,000 and administered 8 strokes of the rotan. Above and below captures from a video clip available on the internet illustrate the graphic consequence of an artistic lark gone horribly wrong.

A third charge of cutting the fence at the Changi train depot was stood down. Vandalism of site property is also punishable by caning.

SMRT chief executive Saw Phaik Hwa, 55, was not taken to task for the lapse in security. Instead of spray cans of paint, the intruders could have smuggled plastic explosives into the Government gazetted protected area. Instead she is likely to collect more than the $1.67 million paid her last year. Her deputy Yeo Meng Hin, specifically tasked with safety, emergency, planning and security, is the second best paid executive in the private corporation, raking in $970,272 or more.

Apparently the ex-Duty Free Sales girl was handsomely rewarded for bringing in over $50 million non-transit income from the rental of MRT space to retailers. Not for her experience or expertise in operating a public transportation system. By comparison, her equally ill-qualified predecessors Boey Tak Hap (ex-chief of army) and Kwek Siew Jin (ex-chief of navy) were paid about $570,000 each because rental income during their watch was negligible. Neither secure transportation nor crime and punishment issues are on the minds of the SMRT board members. It's all about milking the last cent from the captive commuter market. Transport Minister Raymond Lim would approve.