Recall that the fractious decision of turning Singapore into Sin City - complete with two architectural monoliths symbolising Sodom and Gemmorah - was a divisive one that even pitted members of parliament against each other. How did that end up being of lesser importance to them and to future generations of Singaporeans? Adding insult to history, two epochal events are barely registered or rendered significant - the so-called "Marxist conspiracy" and Operation Cold Store.
Third on the awareness tableau was the major rail service breakdown in 2011, a minor hiccup compared to the recent North-South and East-West train disruption. That 2011 debacle brought down the high flying Saw Phaik Hwa who profited from sales of retail space at the cost of train and track maintenance. Since awareness does not translate to importance, so we are told, the equally clueless lieutenant general now put in charge is in no danger of receiving a pink slip. Despite the simultaneous breakdown of two lines inconveniencing 250,000 commuters. Inured to multifarious failings in the system governance and infrastructure, the people no longer seem to care.
Research analysts Varian Lim and Elaine Ho at the IPS Social Lab are saying that, beyond being a means of transportation, the MRT system represents Singapore’s journey from Third World to First. That being the case, the country must be grinding down to a halt.
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The country is not just grinding to a halt. It is falling to pieces. Another train breakdown was reported this morning at peak hours. And there is that huge slab of concrete breaking off from a wall in a HDB flat. Time for these aristocrats to commit hara-kiri?
ReplyDelete/// Research analysts Varian Lim and Elaine Ho at the IPS Social Lab are saying that, beyond being a means of transportation, the MRT system represents Singapore’s journey from Third World to First. ///
ReplyDeleteBy the same logic, the frequent breakdowns of the MRT system represents Singapore's slide from First World to Third.
How about the Great Orchard road flood ? Is it not important because no Noah's Ark is built to survive the flood ?
ReplyDeleteNever wait for th to Harakiri
ReplyDeleteThey are never that responsible, shameless and honourable.
IT IS THE DUTY OF THE CITIZENRY NOW TO SACK THEM IN THE COMING GENERAL ELECTION.
THE RULERS HAVE REWARDED THEMSELVES HANDSOMELY AND NEGLECTED THE PEOPLE.
THEY HAD BEEN OBLIVIOUSLY TO THE SUFFERINGS AND COMPLAINTS OF THE PEOPLE.
THE RULERS HAVE FAILED BADLY AND REMAIN ADAMANTLY TO THEIR BUDDY BUDDY BEHAVIOURS.
THE PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG HAS FAILED BADLY TO CONTROL HIS UNDERLINGS AND INSTEAD ALLOWS THE BUDDY SYSTEM TO GET BIGGER.
A CASE IN POINT IS THE APPOUNTMENTS OF MILITARY PERSONNELS IN SMRT.
patriot
Corrections to my above-comment.
DeleteNever wait for them to Harakiri.
obliviously to be corrected to oblivious.
My apology for the Mistakes.
patriot
Since when Singapore is in the First World? I think we had been conned. the one who claimed we are in the First World demanded more pay, and we did not object to it. Clever!
ReplyDeleteOur Ministers demand 1st World pay for themselves yet don't even want to implement a minimum wage for our senior cardboard collectors. The best they can do is assure us they are collecting used cardboard as a form of exercise.
ReplyDeleteAre they a group of conmen or what ?
The pay of leaders in 1st World countries is much lower than that of our leaders. The ''pay'' of leaders in 3rd World countries can be high...
DeleteYou see, corruption and nepotism aren't so as long as it is legalized and blatantly using cherry-picked examples for comparison.
DeleteDidn't you learn this in your social studies lesson? That's an A1 grade to you, unthinking drone...Our education system is so proud of you!
don't worry, if more mrt or any other public infrastructure breakdowns, PM has a plan: start another coordinating inter- ministry agency, chaired by a yet--to-be-promoted chiak liao bee minister-in-prime-minister office, flanked by 3 pee-asses-in-prime-minister-office, staffed by 3000 to-be-hired new civil masters, contracting 5 consultant groups conducting 15 different studies to better evaluate the new problem. Never let a good crisis go to waste, promote more, pay them more, and create more future problems :) After all, its taxpayers' money well-spent to generate more GDP!
ReplyDeleteIn 2011, during the unveiling of the PAP's seventh batch of candidates for the General Election, Lim Boon Heng broke down in tears when he said: "For me, it was a very difficult process to accept the casinos. I almost couldn't make my speech in Parliament."
ReplyDeletePoor Minister Lim. Don't you know that despite your blubbering, the IPS survey claims that "Awareness of events does not equate to importance to respondents e.g. opening of two casinos"? One question that bothers me. If you are so dead set against casinos and gambling, how do you reconcile with being a Director of Temasek's Board, an investment company that gambles with other people's money?
The exMTR chief in HK , Jay Walder has had 20 yrs of rail and real experience having come from MTA NY and London operations. He was paid Hk$13m (8m salary + 5m performance bonus) . But at least he was responsible for also overseas operations in China, UK ANZ and Sweden. In fact, the MTR runs and own part of london and Sweden metro operations.
ReplyDeleteAfter his departure, his vet deputy Lincoln Leung took over at compensation around hk$9.3 m. No one can dispute HK world class rail system and its track record.
Tell me how is our current CEO even comparable in both experience and skills, and responsibilities to warrant such a high pay for domestic operation? He can't even get his team of engineers in place and attract top talent !
Is one thing to have awareness, is another to have deep kowing and self awareness to quit.
If the Kuek fellow had any sense he would have immediately brought back having parallel bus services. These were stopped to force people to use the trains, so money invested would not be wasted. Now the system, built for much fewer pple, cant cope. Time to stop being smrtass and try for smart instead.
DeleteHk$13m is even less than $2.5 millions and he is world class professional, and yet we are paying undisclosed benefit , on top of their millions to our world class clowns with absolute zero experience coming off from military background that is doomed to failure.
DeleteSome time over the last 10 years, the camel's back was broken.
DeleteWe may have to face up to the possibility that our MRT is broken.
Do you think our Singapore institutions like HDB, CPF, GIC, Temasek and etc are also broken?
The Aristocrats don't care if it's broken. They don't buy HDB flats and CPF money is peanuts to them.
DeleteGIC and Temasek is also peanuts to the aristocrats.
The Natural Aristocrat must not be blamed for the MRT failures. Therefore the ex-army officers are Paid to Fail.
DeleteEveryone with cognitive functions still functional can all agree that one can never be too cynical of the whiteys in this island
ReplyDeleteIs ironic isn't it when in the midst of SG50, two such I,portent historical events scored so low on the awareness scale. What does it tell you? Historicity is only one way/one sided. Or perhaps that Singaporeans (those daft interviewed ones? ) truly have no clue or idea or deep knowledge about what they are celebrating the 50 yrs for.
ReplyDelete