Help Bring About Changes

  Dear Editor, Transport Minister Anthony Loke’s decision to slap Prasarana with the strictest and highest possible penalties is not just timely—it is long overdue.  In fact, I am fully supportive of Loke’s decisions. In fact, some heads have to roll.  When the Pasir Ris MRT accident took place in 2016, this was how the authorities in Singapore demonstrated that they are dead serious about public safety:  The Team Supervisor / Engineer (Lim Say Heng):  Corporate: Dismissed by SMRT.  Legal: Charged under the Penal Code for causing death by a negligent act. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four weeks in jail in 2018.   The Train Captain / Driver (Rahmat Mohd):  Corporate: Terminated by SMRT in September 2016 (a move that drew public criticism as critics argued it deflected from systemic signaling and control failures).   Management / Executive Oversight (Teo Wee Kiat, Director of Control Operations):   Legal: Charged under the Workpl...

Elected representatives often fall into a dangerous trap: they look at a single complaining citizen and think, "It's just one person. We can tune them out, and it won't matter." Let me just suggest to our Members of Parliament and administrators to review your positions:  My influence affects more people than you think. When I approach you, I am not just asking you to fix a minor inconvenience or even my problem; I am bringing to you  people’s issues so that you can fix the very systems and mindsets  that create these problems, or repeat again unless the organisation, agency or department is reshuffled or overhauled. This is the reform we are expecting to see. If you continue to turn a deaf ear to the grassroots, like what Selangor Pakatan government has done to my blog Surat Terbuka kepada Menteri Besar, originally meant to show the state Adminstration how lackadaisical attitude of local couuncils have affected our livelihood, do not be surprised when word spreads...