Yesterday, Singapore experienced an epochal moment in its history as a wannabe world class city. We had a massive transport breakdown on our much vaunted MRT system.
Now, why am I calling this a massive moment for Singapore, despite the terrible inconvenience it caused? Now, I was one of those 127,000 people inconvenienced by it, so I know exactly what I am talking about.
No major city in the world has anything less than a screwed up transport system. London has strikes on the Tube so often nobody bats an eyelid when it happens. The trains in Paris are as slow as they are filthy. The trains in Tokyo need special employees to pack people in, because they are that full. Even looking across at our neighbour across the straits, they have carriages that are female only but males still find their way in, because the only thing worse than a crowded train full of females is a crowded train full of females and one male. For the females of course.
So in a sense, we have finally arrived.
I am not surprised at all that Singaporeans made a huge uproar about it, but I find it ridiculous that the ones making the loudest noise are not the ones who were actually stuck in the trains. Sure it was uncomfortable, stuffy, and very unfortunate, but anyone who has lived in anywhere that is not Singapore will know that occasional breakdowns are par for the course in any major city, where the transport system is overstrained.
Many of the people affected by the breakdown did not complain. Not because they didn't want to. Not because they didn't suffer. But because they knew that this was a one-off, which in every sense it was. Many of these people have been in a Singapore where there wasn't even an MRT, and that will always be infinitely worse.
It's really uniquely Singaporean behaviour. KPKB until the cows come home when shit happens but when it comes to the time to do something about it, keep quiet.
Honestly, this is still not anywhere near ridiculous. Not to say that SMRT has never tried to be ridiculous, as evidenced by this video. To this day, the name "Roger Foo" is still a dirty word.
I've been in Singapore 25 years, and this is the first time I've seen a breakdown like this at such a scale. I take it as a blessing, because I have had 25 fuss-free years before this. We have actually had it so good all this while that such a breakdown was too much for us pampered citizens of Singapore to bear.
Not to say that it is becoming of any transport system of course. SMRT did badly here in responding slowly and not updating the public on just what the hell was going on. I spent almost an hour in Raffles Place waiting for a train that never came because I had no idea whether it was going to or not, and I still had a class to attend. And the timing of this breakdown was really unfortunate, coming right after the fare increases for taxis.
For those railing about taxi fare increases, they fail to realise that it was inevitable. As it is, taxi drivers barely make $2500 a month on average, and they still have families to feed. Driving a taxi is a very hard job, and it is exhausting. Making the fares too cheap is actually dangerous for the drivers, who will have to drive extra hours on congested and unpredictable roads to make up for their rental shortfalls. And ultimately, it will be dangerous for the commuters, because they are the ones taking the taxis with the tired drivers. Think about that.
Taxis are a luxury good and not a basic necessity. If you want to travel in comfort in a crowded city, be prepared to pay for it. Otherwise, take the bus. I work till 10pm almost every day and I still take the mrt, bus and walk. I don't make excuses for it. I know I don't earn enough to take that many taxis.
In any case, we have bigger things to worry about.
Prease la, don't come out onto the streets. Stay in the boys home. Prease la.