The Reform Party calls for a Commission of Inquiry to be convened into the causes of the SMRT fiasco on Thursday night.
Published: 18th December 2011The Reform Party calls for a Commission of Inquiry to be convened into the causes of and handling of the breakdown of SMRT’s service on Thursday night. SMRT has claimed that the breakdown was beyond its control. Without pre-judging the results of the inquiry it is clear that SMRT’s current resources are stretched to breaking point by the government’s decision to increase our population so drastically through immigration while neglecting to invest in adequate infrastructure. This breakdown is not an isolated incident but is becoming a frequent occurrence. SMRT’s emergency response also completely failed which is especially worrying if there is a more serious accident. Staff were inadequately trained to cope with an emergency. All are symptomatic of complacent management secure in the knowledge that they face no competition or properly independent regulation.
The Reform Party demands that the Transport Minister, Mr. Lui Tuck Yew, should not try to evade responsibility for this fiasco by passing the buck to the CEO of SMRT. He is certainly paid more than enough to be treated as he would be if he were the CEO of a private company. In addition the management of Temasek, which owns SMRT, including the CEO, Madam Ho Ching, the PM, who is the Chairman of Temasek and the Finance Minister should also be held responsible. Temasek as the majority shareholder and appointer of the bulk of SMRT’s board ultimately has responsibility and control over SMRT’s investment decisions and long-term plans.
Released by the SG and CEC of the Reform Party on 17 December 2011