Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Disappointing that maintenance team at SMRT took the blame

I was disappointed that the maintenance team at Bishan MRT Station took the heat for the latest breakdown in service along the North-South Line run by SMRT.

Disappointing that maintenance team at SMRT took the blame
Follow TODAY on WhatsApp
Koh Chern Peng

I was disappointed that the maintenance team at Bishan MRT Station took the heat for the latest breakdown in service along the North-South Line run by SMRT.

I was even more disappointed to learn that the authorities may not issue a heavy penalty to send a clear signal to SMRT and its shareholders, to get them to set timelines to fix the systemic issues.

In order for the SMRT maintenance team to learn its lesson, it seems hundreds of thousands of commuters had to pay a “fee” for their lesson as well.

The last thing we want is to blame the team for a culture that the company created over the decades and then failed to address in the last five years since it got a new group chief executive officer.

Five years is a long time for self-examination. SMRT simply blamed its issues on a maintenance crew rather than look at its management team and how it sets the company’s priorities. Going after the cog when the wheel needs a major overhaul is really pointless.

The Government is right to say that SMRT employees are working hard to resolve the issue. However, it must not send mixed signals by first injecting funds into SMRT and then not penalising it when it fails to meet basic standards.

The scrutiny it keeps on SMRT is also worth a re-examination.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.