10/22/2017

How to solve the sick SMRT?

After hiring a salesgirl and paying her millions to run the MRT and making great profits while the train system headed to a standstill, SMRT did not learn anything. You just cannot hire someone with no experience in the running of a train system to manage a train system. The train system is more complicated than what it appears to be. This is the view taken from recent comments after the flood of problems and breakdowns. And they went to hire another with no experience in running a train, a soldier, to run it and the rest is history.

Then there is this volunteer in Khaw Boon Wan, also got no experience in running a train, that came in to try to solve the problem but also hitting a dead wall. He thought it was a piece of cake. Nah, it is not so easy to fix a faulty train system. This is not like switching it on and off, like stopping the building of more HDB flats and then restarting the same process.

The commuters are disgusted, exasperated, frustrated, losing their patience, and now every commuter, from the old to the young are crying out loud to voice their two cents worth of opinion and solutions. Outsource the management to some experienced train operators, hire foreign talents, send our millionaire train managers to learn from those earning peanuts in other countries, and all the standard solutions that one trick pony can think of. Then the same bunch of commuters answered themselves with their self doubts and doubting questions. Could these work? Of course cannot lah.

The best solution I can think of to temporary solve this problem and stop all the kpkbs and the pressure exerted on the train operator/govt is to tell the people that a complete overhaul or a complete rebuild, a new system, is the answer. Just this announcement alone will immediately stop all the kpkbs. Tell them the replacement system will take 5 to 10 years and the commuters would just have to live with it. You want a new and trouble free train system or not? The answer must be yes. And if yes, you got to bear with it, just 5 or 10 years to wait. In the meantime when the train is down and out, it is the commuters problem to find their ways to their destinations. As for the train employees, tell them to apply long term no pay leave and return when the new train system is up and running. Can save a lot of manpower cost.

This decision will buy 5 to 10 years of peace or at least the criticisms and complaints would die down for sure. And during this period of waiting and getting more frustrated, the commuters would get to reflect on the half baked or half working system and might even say, at least it is working now and then. It is better than nothing. They would get to appreciate a flawed system when there is no working system available, just like in the land of the blind, the one eye jack is king, even if they demand to be paid in the millions.

And you know what would happen after a few months without the train? The commuters would be begging for the flawed train system to run again. Never mind if it breaks down everyday, at least sometimes it would be working. Then the operators can be reemployed with all the staff and run the flawed and daily breaking down train all over again and no one would dare to complain again. If they dare to complain, threaten to take down the train and to rebuild a new one and the commuters have to wait for another 5 or 10 years for it to be operational.

This solution is kinda sound like Redbean's Art of Management, don't you think so? Just kick the bucket further down the road to buy time and peace.

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rb I thought cow already said give him 7 years to solve the problem?

Anonymous said...

That ex-malaysian khaw gave excuse that current mrt system is aged, therefore got breakdowns. But the DTL 3 is brand new, also got breakdowns

virgo49 said...


When HDB tenants complained to Minister Howe that their lifts broke down frequently, he replied :" Aged machineries and lifts don't breakdown ah???"
Why this stupid hassle of whats Ministers and MPs running what's stupid Town Councils. Whose Stupid Idea is This??

He unwittingly questioned his Big Boss and Bro's ideas of ways to fix the Opposition. That's why he only stand for one term. Top Silver Serpent high and mighty cannot stooped so low to be humiliated by the Stupid peasants stocks.

We should only be debating and formulating policies in Parliament. Little does he know the deep cultural mindset of those iron bowl subordinates that only when things happened, we wayang, wayang busy and passed the buck round.

Empress Dowager became so powerful even though not elected by the People can have her own cronies in Top positions running important infrastructures and turned them upside down.

Ah guai hubby just let them played masak masak. Also mssak masak with him that even caused topsy Turvey with blood siblings.

If you buggers still speculated that my HDB flats that we build for you is cut-throat, then we scale down and you have to pay much much more as demand will shoot up.

Afterall, we hold the monopoly and you lan lan got to swallow them as you are price takers

So don't kwa lan with us as you dafts voted us to do thus to you.

Anonymous said...

This is aSsMRT work culture:

1) Cost of Maintenance & training= > S$1 million annually
2) Cost of Apology & Kowtowing to public when breakdowns = S$0

ASsMRT pay fine to LTA is equal to left pocket go to right pocket. COW promised to ASsMRT no blame & aSsMRT Chief choose option 2 , case solved & cycle repeats itself...

Anonymous said...


Good Sunday morning.........

It is not I want to pour cold water this early morning.

Our mrt will never be trouble-free!

Even after another 5-10 years of repair.

Why? We are doing patching repairs.

What we need is someone take a fresh look into the entire mrt network!

Not patch works!

Yes! We need very experience people.

With the kind of salaries now we are paying, we can get the best!

Wake up now! Just do it!

Anonymous said...

With extra 2 million foreign workers in the tiny city state of Singapore taking the MRT daily, of course the rail system will breakdown frequently whether the rail system is old or new.

agongkia said...

Anon 8.05
Foreign workers work daily with transport provided so your assumptions dun make sense.It's foreign talents that may use mrt daily but many use private hire .

Anonymous said...

The garment should just be the garment and stop meddling with such services. Leave it to the private sector and when things failed,the garment then can kick asses. Now the garment delusionally believed that they are all super talents, all knows all and can solve all problems.

So now the people get angry and start to kick the ass of the garment. The myth of a politician becoming instant everything also knows has been exposed. Unfortunately they could not see or understand this madness.

Anonymous said...

"ROLLING STOCK TO LAUGHING STOCK: WHY IS SINGAPORE’S METRO STRUGGLING, WHEN HONG KONG’S IS A HIT?"

Questions raised about where the buck stops in the management of the city state’s metro network, as rival Asian metropolises like Hong Kong and Taiwan pull ahead with superior train reliability.

read more at http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2116325/rolling-stock-laughing-stock-why-singapores-metro-struggling-when

Anonymous said...

Anything the Jinx touched it becomes Jinx. Carefully examine into all the deals she has made or interfered. The records will show all Sinkies how much damage she has made throughout the last 20 years.

Anonymous said...

Ex-SMRT CEO Saw Phaik Hwa is Jinx's friend ?

Anonymous said...

We have been talking about productivity falls and poor workmanship since we had that 'cheaper, better and faster' outburst from 'Mr. I feel so rich' minister.

Have we given a thought to what foreign engineers, technicians and workers care about falling productivity, workmanship and work ethics when they know that after a few years they are likely to leave for home after taking their CPF to retire in style?

Why do foreign workers constructing or maintaining the MRT system care about whether the whole MRT system falls apart after some years? They would not be around to suffer that fate unlike locals.

Khaw says the downtown line is going to be a game changer. You and I know what excuses will change and what will never change. The latest game changer is that the MRT breakdowns are now due to 'cultural' problems - straight from the cow's mouth.

Mooooooo......

Anonymous said...

How to solve the sick SMRT?

ANSWER: Vote Opposition. It's time to remove the cancer.

Anonymous said...

Set the challenge - which minister who can solve Singapore's MRT problems shall be the next Prime Minister of Singapore !

Chan Chun Sing, Ong Ys Kung, Heng Swee Keat, Josephine wanna try ?

Anonymous said...

Asking a fake knows all to solve an engineering problem he has no clue about?

Anonymous said...

How to solve the sick SMRT?

The same way Singaporeans will undo all the other damaged parts of Singapore.
1. Vote Opposition to change government.
2. Bring in real experts to provide the expertise to the new government.
3. Appoint Singaporeans to understudy, work with and eventually take over from the experts.

Goh said...

I dun blame garmen or its ruler but those PG parents who do not teach their children well,to be dedicated,answerable and responsible for the task given to them, and not to shake leg shake lampar,kheow khar,klkk and cbtc.
If it's my poor towkay,he will visit his various site almost daily to find out about those pump rooms , generators etc.and even stand in .
Not just expose himself.
Please leave KBW alone.Not his fault and cannot blame him just because he's Minister.
Stress him too much may cause his relapse and you going to lose another talent.
Wish KBW well.Relax,oon oon jia bee hoon.

Anonymous said...

What are ministers for? We elect them to relax and 'jia bee hoon' on million dollar salary? Might as well elect an 'Agong'.

Gong also cannot be so gong!

Anonymous said...

Afterall, we hold the monopoly and you lan lan got to swallow them as you are price takers.
7:34 am

Tiok.

Daft, cannot afford car and only can kpkb Sinkies who take MRT are price takers.

And the price is set by million dollar ex general turned MRT CEO Desmond Kuek.

He can set any price and still be in business as CEO.

Hahahahaha.

Anonymous said...

If a sales girl can be hired to be CEO of SMRT under a PAP government;
- why are Singaporeans so scared of voting an Opposition government?
- Do you think an Opposition government would ever make this type of mistake?
- Do you think an Opposition Government would ever appoint a General to be CEO of SMRT?

Hopefully, you all can see the benefits of voting Opposition.

Anonymous said...

Transport ministry is a hot potato and many have fallen from the top. Yeo Ning Hong, Yeo Cheow Tong, Mah Bow Tan, and was it also that rear admiral chap and Khaw is going to be another among the list.

But maybe this is the last pasture to graze before they retire and qualify to get their fat pensions.

Who else is next will be interesting!

Anonymous said...

Voters of sinkieland should vote for alternative parties.

The solution to smrt is so simple when the problem falls on alternative to Pap.

The new party garment can build 2 lines east and west and north and south HSR. HSR is the official common name for taiwan hi speed rail. From south port taipei to left camp taiwan tip south, the cost was US$18 billions, using Japan s shenkansen.
Top speed is 300km per hour, same as China made rail.

US$18 bil for 170km. 1KM is 0.106billion.

Sinkieland n to s is 27km, e to w is 50km: ns is USD2.8 billion, and e w line is only USD5.3 billion.

Total cost is only USD8.1 billion.

Voters should watch how much cow is gone pay for replacing the Bukit Panjang Lrt. He said close down Lrt for 3 years. Is that a laughing stock? How much is still a question mark. 3 years is expensive to the residents there.

Spend the money to buy reliable hi speed rail might make Pap obsolete. Day in day out they meddle with rail, buses, endless problems. Who bother to total the cost in billion?

If HRS can run on 200km/hr is means from e to w is only: 3.33km/mim so 50km: 50/3.33= 15mins (from tuas to changi airport).

Who will want to waste time to take all these pap trains: 30mins trip ends up as 3 hours. Lots of frustration.

The trouble is: rail is garmen controlled. If a china company wants to invest in hsr on sinkieland as private rail, it is not possible. Voters should think out of the box. Do not meddle with Pap with endless mrt problem, including flooding of tunnel. Vote for other mp to select their own pm, sinkieland will be so much cheaper to pay for the new group of politicians. No need to have army generals to run the simple city. Civilians are far quicker when living in civilian life. Their minds are more creative than army generals with so much indoctrination. eg mrt problem is a seeded culture problem. Which company has no good and bad culture?
It means no way to solve mrt problem.

Anonymous said...

hi 1038am

do u know that although the minister is paid millions but their jobs are very very very siong, not easy

they work 24/7 including holidays

in fact they should be paid much much more, the current salaries are very very very cheap

hope their salaries would be adjusted very very much upwards soon

Goh said...

Anon 1105.
Agree with you that we should ideally have HSR like Taiwan.Best is east west for a start.No need so many mrts.more mrt mean more problems unless we can manage well .
From Taoyuan to kaohsiung Tsoying,take only an hour plus.Never heard about Mtr in Taipei n Kaohsiung giving problem.
Citizen happy,Garmen happy poon peepee..Another 5 years for pxp.
Win win situation.

Anonymous said...

He can set any price and still be in business as CEO.
10:44 am

Wah seh, this type of business where to find?

Only in Sinkieland?

Anonymous said...


Hahaha,,,,,,,,

I can see many theories here for our mrt.

Let me tell you.

If the curent set of problems not solved soon, much more serious and life threatening problems may surfaced. I hope not!

Do it right, now! Before something very very very serious!

Anonymous said...

No problem lah!! Why??? Coz sinkies will still vote 70% for PAP mah...

Where got problem you tell me?!?!

Even if shut down for 10 years or 50 years, also no problem. Just allow free-for-all bus services, pirate taxis, motorbikes, lorries etc to carry passengers.

Who knows??? Maybe productivity will even go up!!!

Anonymous said...

Why the fuck have so many names for so many lines? North/South, East/West, Northeast, Circle, Downtown wtf.

The system will choke to death on its own vormit.

Anonymous said...


P😃P knows!

Regardless of anything,,,,,,,,,,

Next GE 80%! Recapturing H smc and A grc!

Singapore is like that!

Hahaha,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Anonymous said...

11:17am
Have fast train east west is good enough, agree, for a start.

Major guarantee for no problem to begin with is to let private company to build and run it. Only this way can be trouble free.

Let pap to build with public funds and run it, pap will bring in army men and politicians. Taxi company, bus company, mrt company, all are filled with politicians. As a result, these are like temples, or churches similar to suntec type, take money big big but do wayang rituals, making the public a gone kia.
Pap mixing politicians with civil orgainzations is never ending troubles for Pap themselves. They love the troubles like smoke screens to cover their mistakes. No one can ask them responsible to solve the problems because their own people create the problems.

Anonymous said...

LKY's time first day MRT Line open ceremony breakdown, heads guaranteed to roll. At least three heads -

3. Line Project Manager.
2. MRT CEO.
1. Transport Minister..

Anonymous said...

High high salary know how to take. Simple job don't know how to do (never do).
Simple maintenance work also neglected for so long until serious problems turn up.
All those problems actually could have been prevented, if proper maintenance had been carried out diligently.

And then when got problems, don't know how to solve. Must take 7 years to solve? By then, PM already retired. And whoever responsible most probably also retired. Who will have to carry the baby?

And when criticised by public, blame everybody except themselves - skin fxxking thick. Never commit harakiri?

Those paper generals are equivalent to academics. They should be employed as lecturers or professors in the universities, instead of being politicians, military generals and business Directors and CEOs.

No grass-roots activities and do social works to know the people's sufferings, suddenly parachute by helicopter and become instant success politicians. How can they do a proper job of a politician? Where got political acumen?

No experience in battles or war, can become military generals. Only experience is score 4 A's at A-Level, and get scholarship and whole looking-good life is made for them. Where can gain respect as a true military general? Can fight war with Malaysia and Indonesia? The moment the first bomb drop, they will be hiding inside the deepest hole and pretend to command and control, but direct the battles by remote control. Some may even take the first flight out of the country for good.

No experience in business. Never earned a single dollar of profit for any business organisations, can suddenly over-night become CEO or Director of this and that investment organisation or business organisation like MRT, NOL and SPH?
No wonder NOL had to be sold for a song. MRT keep breaking down for years and getting worst. Now even brand new line breaking on the VERY FIRST DAY OF OPERATION!!! Where to hide the face?

Singapore is still First World Country? My foot! Worst than 3rd World Countries like Brazil, China, India and South Africa!
.
.

Anonymous said...

In the old man's time we don't know how many heads already rolled due to the MRT fallout.

That's the difference when I say the old PAP is not the same as the present PAP. Then they earned their respect with ideas, conviction and action. Failure is not an option.

That is how they have such outstanding first generation ministers as Dr. Goh Keng Swee and company.

Now, without background or political experience they just parachute in, hide under the coat-tails of entrenched heavyweight ministers to get elected and immediately become ministerial material.

They never fought a single political battle on their own merit. That in a word, is the greatest negative value of the GRC system. Jiak Liao Bees getting into Parliament and talking cock or even becoming ministers.

What a joke!

Anonymous said...

Political Joke
---------------
Since 2011, the Singapore Armed Forces has been perfecting a lethal weapon that will defeat any foreign invading army.

Introducing the PAP paper General.

When paraded in front of an invading army;
It is guaranteed to incite uncontrollable laughter amongst the enemy troops.

The lethal blow comes when we air drop thousands of copies of the PAP General's payslip over the heads of the enemy.
The effect kills the enemy combatants almost instantaneously as they die of laughter over the million dollar salaries being paid out to our PAP paper Generals.

Anonymous said...

DFS Malaysian salesgirl was poorly qualified. DFS is a small ayam player in the retail scene. A DFS GM is like GM of Mark & Spencer branch in Spore.

The root of the problem lies with the Person who recruited and appointed her as SMRT CEO. It did not made sense. Yet the root problem is not looked at.

That Jinx, was not questioned and nor asked to be held accountable. Besides appointment of Saw, there were and are still many "fook-up" appointments. They have been quietly losing lots of money & screwing up Sinkpore. Citizens not in know because not like SMRT fiasco where commuters can directly experienced it.

Jinx = Sing rot, rotting, rotten.

virgo49 said...


Don't underestimate Saw. She perched on a Sedan Throne dressed as Cleopatra like Liz Alizabeth
In their Anuual Animals And Dance Celebration.

Below carrying Her on their shoulders body builders slaves in trunks like the Daft sinkies in MRT trains breaking down and then.

Don't know got used their service after the Dance one after another.

Like our Infamous Singapore Girl record of having 541 men. The Jinx may have joined her secretly and her pink eunuch sitting crossed legs enjoying.

Cheers

Anonymous said...

At least now he can offer more excuses for all the breakdown, be it track fault? Signalling fault, interference and now software fault?
What next?