‘Hong Kong's MRT is the envy of the world, and many other
cities are trying to emulate its efficiency and reliability.
Better still, their MRT officers and their Minister-in-Charge
are earning less than 10% of what we are paying our own
counterparts. This is translated into very much reduced cost per
ride for the Hongkies. For example, as a senior in HK, I pay only
HK$2 (=S$0.35) per trip regardless of the distance travelled.
I think we should also get the HK team to come and run our
MRT at a small fraction of our current salaries.
Hopefully this will also mean much reduced cost per
ride in Singapore.’
I received the above in an email. The Hongkies are very highly regarded
for competitiveness and their entrepreneurial spirit. They have not been
called daft. They know they are good.
I would suggest we send a study or fact finding team to learn from them
and maybe we can improve our public transport system. No need to feel
malu just because we have bigger dignity and so cannot learn from people
with lesser dignity. When they are good, we must come down and be
willing to learn from the better people and their system.
Tiok boh?
Tio lah,nguan puah kopi kow kow.
ReplyDeleteCorrect lah two coffee thick my small contributions.
Hong Kong mtr commuters nearly double or triple ours and yet where got frequent breakdowns like ours.
ReplyDeleteHave to learn from them, called yourself first world transport hub.
Bin pear Kau kau, send a team and learn from them
The 80 years old Moscow MRT despite using old technology, more ridership are more reliable than ours. Moscow metro is reputed among the best in the whole world.
ReplyDeleteAccording to wiki, the Moscow Metro is the world's second most heavily used rapid transit system after Seoul Metropolitan Subway.
That is to say, our super talent system, cannot even beat Stalinism (MRT built by Stalin).
I have been in civil service for 3 years. I get to see a lot of rot inside. The only way for our progress is not only to get rid of PAP, but also all current cohort of middle to high ranking civil servant.
I always get a tickle by the way you guys tried to phonetise hokien. Maybe mine is the lau hock kien hokien. I know it is not easy for some words. 'nguan puah' I would use 'nern puay'. As for 'bin pear' I would use 'been puay'. Do they sound different?
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteNot been to HK for a long time.
RB has a few interesting suggestions in this article.
Shock to note that with such high level of efficiency and reliability of their mrt network, their MRT officers and Minister-in-Charge are earning very very much less than the Singapore counterparts.
Another surprise news is that the seniors in HK pay only HK$2 (=S$0.35) per trip regardless of the distance travelled.
RB's suggestion of tendering out the running of our mrt to the HK team at a small fraction of our current salaries is worth considering by LTA.
I don't think we should feel "malu" to tender out our mrt system to the HK team.
We should learn from the BEST and maybe we can learn how to improve our public transport system.
Cheers.
Ho lah Bro RB thanks- for the correc-saing, another nern puay.
ReplyDeleteRB, think that phonetised teow chew..
ReplyDeleteHeheh, still doesn't sound like teow chew. nern puay in teochew should be nor puay. been puay should be puay1 in teochew and puay2 in hokien, a bit lower key. Something like dat.
ReplyDeleteRB, can not lar. If we tender out the mrt to the HK team, what will happen to all the retrenched SAF boys, problem right? Tio Bo?
ReplyDeletebut no other countries can beat us in this transportation mode;
ReplyDeletemost countries build mrt network to move mass number of commuters in the shortest period between stations
here, we crammed commuters into the metal container and travel at speed that ensure safety and lull commuters to sleep too
the world should emulate us instead
SMRT, Singapore's Most Relac Transport system.
ReplyDeleteWhy not compare to Taiwan HSR?Only 100 minutes from North to South.
ReplyDeleteSMRT is still the best to me.Can squeeze with mei meis of different nationality every day.
Dear Redbean
ReplyDeleteExcellent article.
But it could have been better authenticated if you had cited the actual detailed report in the Wall Street Journal several days ago:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323342404579080682338101534.html
According to PAP's logic, HongKong is one of the most dangerous MRT in the world. Why ? Because the people who operate and manage them aren't paid millions and been paid poorly, they don't have dignity, so how can they not be dangerous ? Did our million dollars clowns not associate high pay with less corruption ? So how can the hong kong public transport not be dangerous according to PAP's logic ? PAP's transport must be the best, and only best in the world since they are richest, correct or not ?
ReplyDeleteRedbean,
please enlighten us
Beijing MRT charges a flat RMB2 for any line with unlimited transfer. This is the normal fare for everyone - not sure if there is a cheaper rate for seniors.
ReplyDeleteHi Peter, welcome to the blog and thanks for the link.
ReplyDeleteI must agree with the concept that you pay for quality, just like dignity. The more you pay, the better the quality and dignity. But feel free to disagree.
Cheers.
The policy makers are determined by the majority of the voters. This is democracy. Until they know how to unite themselves, they will be fleeced. Of course, the elite rulers know very well how to divide the people and rule. There are several tools for that e.g. race, religion, fake oppositions, hongbao, subsidies, scandals etc. The 'maxims divide et impera and divide ut regnes' were utilised heavily by the Roman ruler Caesar and the French emperor Napoleon.
ReplyDelete