Monday 9 April 2012

Yet another bus accident: school boy in Woodlands injured

Guess what? Before the dust has settled from the Sengkang accident, there is yet another accident involving a bus - this time in Woodlands. You can read the full report here: http://temasektimes.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/woodlands-accident-boy-admitted-to-kkh-with-fractured-ankle-smrt-suspends-bus-driver/
"One frequent commuter of bus service 912 Faizal Maidin posted on Facebook the likely identity of the driver:
“I think I know the driver that did it. I was in bus 912 that day with my mum and it was driven by this PRC driver. I think he is the only PRC driver driving the service bus 912. The rest are Singaporean and Malaysian drivers. He is insane mind you. He beat the traffic light when it was green. I was like haaaaaaaaaa. Think it is him alright. That day he almost hit a boy with his grandmum at the traffic junction.”
Well what can I say Singapore? How much more of this are you willing to take? Well I had a quick chat with some of my Singaporean friends about the issue on Facebook and whilst there was all the anti-PRC rhetoric, one friend did point out that:  "I think its really not just foreign born drivers who are bad but really, SBS / SMRT really need to make sure they put in the dough on thorough training. Whether the drivers are local or PRC, there needs to be some kind of quality control in terms of their training before they are allowed behind the wheel of a bus. The number of accidents that have happened indicate the lack of training on the part of the drivers - surely some heads must roll at SBS/SMRT for the lack of quality control in their training. They must be prepared to tell a driver 'your driving is not good enough, you cannot drive and earn money until you demonstrate that you have improved'. Let's not allow the anti-PRC feelings to overshadow the problem at hand: the organisation is cutting corners and not investing in training their staff. The CEOs and senior figures in the organisation should be held responsible for having cut corners to save money - let's not focus just on the PRC foreign workers. The whole organisation is rotten from top to bottom." 

Nicole Seah has left a comment on her FB page and I quote her:

Nicole Seah (佘雪玲)
We deserve accountability from bus companies

In recent years, there have been more cases of reported fatalities and hiccups related to SBS and SMRT bus services.

The increasing number of such reports is both saddening and worrying. This has led to greater insecurity and loss of confidence in both commuters and pedestrians alike.

There needs to be greater accountability for the slew of such incidents, and we need to raise the following questions to the relevant authorities:

1. Are the bus companies able to furnish statistics demonstrating the number of fatalities arising from public transport-related incidents over the past decade? Has there been a trend of an increasing amount of fatalities or casualities that the citizens of Singapore should be concerned about? If the bus companies have already detected such a trend, what are the measures put in place to resolve this problem?

2. What are the hiring practices for bus captains? How rigorous and stringent is their probation period before they are allowed onto the roads? For new citizens or foreign employees, what are the practices involved in ensuring that they are familiarised with the road conduct in Singapore and its traffic rules?

The role of public transport is a vital one in densely populated Singapore. It is the vessel that aids us in living our hectic lives efficiently and taking us from one destination to another. A single disruption in our transportation network has the ability to disrupt not just the commuters’ journey, but the businesses that they operate in as well. Commuters do have the right to be concerned as the safety of their families and themselves are being compromised.

Nicole Seah

Thank goodness the boy didn't die - he got away with a fractured ankle. SBS/SMRT has only suspended the driver - did he get away too lightly? Should criminal charges be brought against this PRC driver? Should he be banished from Singapore along with all other PRC drivers? (Sorry, wishful thinking on my part.) Who should be punished for this latest accident? What do you think? Leave a comment, let me know.

PS. Akan datang: Limpeh dives into the NUS-Yale fiasco and I promise you it's going to be even hotter than those fiery little chilli padis ... Get ready to be offended!

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6 comments:

  1. nala10 April 2012 at 03:26

    I'm disappointed that you've seen fit to join in the lumping of Chinese foreigners and bashing them online. Yes there are bad eggs in every situation, but that should not taint everyone from that country - how would it feel if you were working in another country and people were calling for your removal because another Singaporean did something wrong or behaves obnoxiously? As you've mentioned the problem is with the training of these bus drivers (again it's not confirmed that the driver mentioned was Chinese, I hate when people just start pointing fingers without much evidence) and the responsibility lies with the bus driver at fault and possibly the bus company, not ALL Chinese immigrants.

    Yes there are increasing numbers of foreigners in Singapore, but again blame the government policies instead of directing their anger and discrimination against the people coming in. People are, like you, just looking for better opportunities, and if they can be found here with the lax immigration policies, why blame them for coming?

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  2. nala10 April 2012 at 03:56

    I just wanted to add that yes, people from PRC may be obnoxious in public and lack manners - but that is a product of the upbringing, not the country. It's seems like something not many people realise. There are plenty ugly Singaporeans too - look at how we treat maids and other low paid migrant workers. A large proportion of Singaporeans see them as less than human working machines, and the way we exploit them is not very admirable. But should all Singaporeans be lumped into this category and judged under that perception?

    I'd rather you not publish my comments, I'm just curious how people like you think. I can understand the average Singaporean, without much exposure overseas, thinking this way and being highly xenophobic, but I'm unsure why you, with your extensive foreign work experience, would want all migrant workers from a certain country to leave as well.

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    1. Limpeh Foreign Talent10 April 2012 at 11:39

      I have addressed your questions in my latest post here: http://limpehft.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/what-yale-nus-fiasco-reveals.html If you don't wanna read the whole thing, just scroll to the end where I deal with your questions (or just do a search control+F for 'Nala'). Thanks.

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  3. Alan Heah10 April 2012 at 07:37

    Perhaps the driver was only suspended and not arrested, precisely because the boy didn't die.

    It might not be surprising that top management will still get bonuses/increments proportionately higher than most of us for this year, despite the many unfortunate incidents so far.
    Even the little income I get, mostly from out of home, I only get paid when I actually do the work.
    Yet it seems the prevalent practice worldwide to reward the elite even for absent performance.
    Amazing.

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    1. Limpeh Foreign Talent10 April 2012 at 11:42

      It's time to hold them up to account - you can see the power of public opinion, remember how SBS/SMRT did a U-turn on the issue of paying for the Sengkang accident victim's funeral the moment public opinion turned against them when the family of the deceased were told to write a proposal for them to consider? It can be done.

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  4. Blackprince14 April 2012 at 09:19

    @nala

    I dunno why u wan to jump the gun so fast and to conclude that the author is bashing PRC. To what I understand, highlighting a case n inciting discontent is two different altogether.

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