Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Strike Two

Last Wednesday, 17 August, a northbound train was vandalised with graffiti and fencing at Bishan Depot tampered with. Nearly a week has passed, SMRT has yet to reveal how security was breached. Initially subcontractor Evtec Management Services was fingered, but they knew the blame game has its limits. Pinnochio's nose can only grow so long.

Whatcha gonna do about it?
Proof of how blur the management can be comes no better than this: "All MRT trains, inside and out, will now be inspected visually by SMRT staff before being deployed on their daily operations," said Ms Saw Phaik Hwa, the highest paid CEO in the history of the transport operator. Hello missy, you mean to say, for all these years, not a single technical staff has been deputed to make a visual check of the train before it rolls out the depot? Mercifully there has been no incident of mechanical failures, a loose under carriage component would have killed someone easily. On 16 August 2002, a 13.4 kg safety wheel fell off a train and hit the head of pedestrian David Cheliah, a journalist, walking under the Kuala Lumpur Monorail viaduct at Jalan Sultan Ismail. Dealing with heavy rolling stock is not the same keeping stock of lip gloss at a DFS outlet.

In spite of spending some $6 million for "security enhancements", such as sturdier welded fences, a Fence Intrusion Detection System and more lights and CCTV cameras, someone still managed to waltz right into the depot and decorated their car with a leisurely spray painted "Jet Setter's". Barely 15 months ago, Swiss national Oliver Fricker and Briton accomplice, Dane Alexander Lloyd, had also expressed their foreign talent creativity on a parked MRT train. Dr Kumar Ramakrishna, head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, underscored the severity of the security lapses: “If relatively unsophisticated vandals seeking thrills can gain unauthorised access to our trains, trained and determined terrorists with far sinister aims could do so as well.”

Saw's haughty dismissal of another slap-on-the-wrist $50,000 token fine is evident in her insouciance: “If LTA decides to fine us, so be it.” Emboldened by her patron, The Daughter-In-Law, she can easily give LTA's Lui Tuck Yew the one-finger salute. Besides, the puny fine is more than compensated for by the recent 1% hike in train fares, courtesy of the compliant sycophant, Gerard Ee of PTC. Assured of her immortality, she boldly promised, "We cannot have another incident." Remember, three strikes and you're out. Let's see if she lives up to her word, or blame it on "likelihood of human failure" when third time comes around.

17 comments:

  1. So who is this Daughter-in-Law?

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  2. Ho Ching brought in this woman. Why? Only she knows.

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  3. SMRT is still playing videos of terrorist acts on the train platforms. Funny. It's a wonder how Saw Phaik Hwa is still holding on to her job. Anyone long enough in politics would have sacked her long ago, like our previous duds like MBT and WKS.

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  4. The problem with these CEOs is that they are more interested in showing off the profit under them rather than involve in money losing activities like enhancing security of depo. In Singapore, you lose money, you lose your job. A train got vandalise, who cares! We made money, you know?

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  5. She is acting exactly like another Cynthia Phua in the making.

    "If LTA decides to fine us, so be it."

    She must be thinking at the end of the day, we can always play with the figures and ask for a another fare hike. It is the commuters who are eventually paying for it anyway.

    When even our PM guarantees that SMRT is entitled to make a reasonable profit, what is the use of a harsh fine when it also ends up in the Govt's coffers while the Govt is also the company's biggest shareholder ? Our PAP govt must really be treating we public transport commuters as fools !

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  6. Accountabilities must start from the top, are they setting GOOD example ?

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  7. She is conected to the famiLee, indispensable.

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  8. Actually let me say this sobering truth:
    3 strikes, and Singaporeans are out.
    This is a disaster waiting to happen..under this woman.
    She's not the one where the pocket hurts, is the commuters/taxpayers.

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  9. 100% visual inspection will ensure no train vandalized with paint leaves an MRT depot.

    And this will give the illusion that everything is secure.

    The question is will SMRT report any fresh cases of train vandalism that they discover in-house but before the train leaves the depot into the public?

    i.e. security has been breached. It's just that nobody will know about it unless SMRT voluntarily makes a report.

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  10. Please... someone tell me how a DFS cosmetic sales promoter gets to be SMRT's CEO? How is this possible??? My neighbour old, ugly daugther also wants to apply. In fact, she has already dyed some strands of her hair that hideous lavender colour!

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  11. "Dealing with heavy rolling stock is not the same keeping stock of *lip gloss* at a DFS outlet."

    Your choice of merchandise reeks of male chauvinism!

    I like it.

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  12. What so indispensable is about her? Is she even knowledagable about her job?

    I can see that she has the most cushiest & best paid job as a CEO.. Gosh..

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  13. anon @ August 24, 2011 8:09 PM,
    My bad - should have used "roll-on deodorant". Forgiven?

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  14. Just another incident to show us that the best days of Singapore under the PAP rule is over. The people at the top are enjoying their rich rewards are either complacent or out of touch with the real world. Our so call world class institutions and cooperation are falling behind.

    Either they wake up or we better replace them before everything falls apart

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  15. This CEO should not be allowed to stay, our transport system is at risk. The whole SMRT organisation did not treat security seriously because this CEO did not treat it seriously, simple as that. The government will have to bear a huge political cost if lives are lost due to another security breach while she remains. Goodbye Saw Phaik Hwa, you will not be missed!

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  16. Go back to DFS, Ms Saw ! Don't be a liability!! ROAR!

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