Release minutes of SMRT AGMs

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Tuesday, 22 June 2010

Singapore Democrats

The Government is desperately scrambling to deflect criticism over the break-in into the Changi MRT depot by pushing the blame to the SMRT for failing to secure the perimeter of the station. This it does by saying that SMRT is a private company and should therefore ensure that security of its premises is adequate.

If we accept the PAP's argument that SMRT is a private company (which records show that it isn't), there are some outstanding questions:

One, did the Government insist that SMRT beef up its security operations?

One would have thought that given the train bombings in London and Madrid, steps would have been taken to tighten security at our MRT depots. This did not need deep analysis, it was plain common sense. As a majority shareholder of SMRT, the Government had every right, indeed obligation, to tell the train operator to secure its depots.

Two, did the Government offer its expertise and resources?

The SMRT is not in the business, nor does it have the expertise, to take care of terrorist threats. The Government is and does. Did it offer these resources to SMRT?

Three, did the Government put back the dividends it was paid back into MRT security?

As a shareholder the Government was paid dividends. How much was this in the last five years and was this money used to invest in security at the stations?

Four. did the Government representatives attend the AGMs of the company?

As a shareholder, Government (Temasek) representatives would have attended SMRT's AGMs. Were security issues, including guarding the fence perimeter of the depots, raised during these meetings and how were they dealt with? Or were discussions centred only on business strategies and profit-margins? Minutes would have been recorded. These should be made public.

If the PAP insists that the SMRT is a private company, it still has the above questions to answer.

The only way that we can ascertain whether the Government had pushed SMRT to take security measures at its depots would be to look at the minutes of the company's AGM. Given the seriousness of the breach, this is the least the company can do to facilitate investigations into its and the Government's extent of negligence.

In truth, whether the SMRT is a private company or not, the Government clearly had a role and responsibility in making sure that the public is adequately protected from terrorist atacks. It failed.

Now it tries to muddy the water by insisting the SMRT is a private company. This sorry excuse for an argument must be completely rejected. It is nothing but a red herring.

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Comments (3)

Tue 22 Jun 2010 3:17 PM | Tan Tai Wei

SATS too is a "private" company? It is listed and pays dividends. So, also, SIA, etc.

So, it is not the government's responsibility to ensure SIA planes and our airport checks, etc., are safe, in the face of terrorist threats? Should a 9/11 were headed to crash into Changi Airport, SAF fighters, paid for by tax payers, would not intervene, it being the responsibility of SIA and SATS?

And so, should war break out, it would not be SAF's job to defend such "private" installations?

Wed 23 Jun 2010 1:39 AM | quantum

Are the public transport companies in the UK private?

Thu 24 Jun 2010 6:27 PM | maxchew - Al Queda and associated operatives watching us...

The MRT's recent easy break-in and the Govt's refusal to accept responsibility for security of MRT depots even now, must have attracted the attention of terrorists like the above.

I often see fully-armed cops frequently patrolling the stations and even on moving trains ostensibly to deter potential terrorists from coming in to cause harm and damage.

I think they are wasting their time and effort.

Hello Ministry of Home Affairs... everyone now knows the MRT's archilles heel is the MRT depots where private unarmed security guards (now Ademco) are supposedly guarding them.

But 2 foreigners were still able to gain entry easily and do their damage albeit only graffiti paint across 2 carriages of a parked train. One would have thought the Govt would immediately takeover from Ademcto to beef-up the security of all vulnerable
MRT depots.

But no.....The 2nd Minister i/c home security came out to catergorically tell us the Govt will not pay for the expensive security coverage of MRT depots, stations and trains but leave it entirely to the MRT corporations on the flimsy excuse that the 2 MRTs were private entities and not public ones. Human lives have no priority?

And so, the current private ADEMCO security which just failed us at Changi Depot continues to take charge of all security pertaining to SMRT properties....and Al Queda and its associates are now perking up and watching with eager eyes and ears.

Will ADEMCO fail us again in the future? I pray not as unlike the multi-millionaire PAP Ministers, my family and I are regular MRT commuters and the next aftermath of a serious security lapse at one of the Depots (there are 7) may not be graffiti
but something that goes Ka-BOOM!
Maybe we need one Ka-Boom before the PAP leaders wake up?

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