SMRT lacks technical competence
A long queue of commuters at Boon Lay Bus Interchange after train services on the North-South and East-West lines were disrupted because of a power fault on July 7. If an organisation is led by incompetent hires, then lapses and breakdowns in systems naturally occur, says the letter writer. TODAY File Photo
SMRT made a net profit S$91 million for the financial year ended March. It was previously fined S$2 million for the December 2011 MRT disruptions, and now S$5.4 million for the July 7 disruptions (“SMRT to be fined S$5.4m for July 7 disruption”, Sept 24).
These fines are just a fraction of its profits and SMRT’s top management may not even lose any sleep over it.
Investigations into the July 7 incident have shown that there was inadequate maintenance; SMRT needed to import foreign expertise to help determine the root cause of the disruption.
This clearly demonstrates that the firm is lacking in technical competence, and yet its management continues to be rewarded with high salaries.
The responsible heads of departments should be closely scrutinised and their remuneration could be affected to push them to stay on their toes, as these senior staff are no doubt paid top dollar to start with.
If an organisation is led by incompetent hires, then lapses and breakdowns in systems naturally occur, and it will be looking at bigger fines to come.
