Back in June, I wrote about the unacceptable performance of SMRT. The company 54.3% owned by Temasek Holdings and a listed entity at the same time, is putting shareholders' interest above passenger welfare. Thousands of commuters have endured breakdown after breakdown while the company's executives continue to seek fare increments year after year.
Earlier this week, they went one better when the entire Circle Line, that's 16 stations in all, stopped functioning for hours leaving an estimated 20,000 commuters stranded.
In the Philippines, the Aquino government raised fares on certain lines after a year of deliberation. The reason for the fare increase is justifiable due to a decade of heavy subsidies and loss making. SMRT is an extremely profitable venture. In fact, it returned record dividends to shareholders in 2010.
Don't get me wrong. Many transport operators around the world are listed too. The difference is that there is zero competition for SMRT in Singapore.
The company will continue to suck more from commuters and pay fat cheques to their executives and shareholders.
It was reported this morning that Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew has asked for a probe into this mess. If it ends up in the customary fine, which some claim is akin to passing money to the Land Transport Authority and back to government coffers, nothing will change, as history will tell us.
It's not enough to probe at the gums...the decaying tooth must be extracted.
Especially when the incident comes hot on the heels of a second graffiti faux pas just last month.
Heads must roll, leaders made accountable.
Last December, Northern UK experienced one of the worst winters ever, causing travel chaos in Scotland forcing its transport minister to resign.
Resignation is not a sign of shirking responsibility. It's a gesture that acknowledges accountability and accepts that someone else could do the job better.
Minister Lui was spotted "going undercover" taking the MRT during peak hours. I wonder what his response would be if he was personally stuck in the Circle Line.
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