Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew will suffer in 2016

Dear Editor,

Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said yesterday that the traffic jam on MCE (Marina Coastal Expressway, Most Congested Expressway) was not due to road design but the problem of motorists who were unfamiliar with the new roads. 

"I think if you open any major new road, where you have quite a number of changes and people have to familiarise themselves with these changes, it will take a bit of time to settle," Lui told reporters Monday morning.

I think it is precisely this kind of attitude that will see Lui Tuck Yew get tucked away in 2016. He needs to stop being in denial and look at the problem objectively. Yes, the road users were unfamiliar but surely the inadequate signs had a part to play as well. Nobody was sure on that day how to get to Rochor Road area, or to keep left to go to the ECP when you usually would keep right. Yet, the multi-millionaire minister denies this fact while pinning the blame squarely on road users. 

If we look at the old AYE-ECP, it was a six lane expressway that became four as you reach Benjamin Sheares Bridge, while the other two lanes were exiting to Rochor Rd. It becomes six lanes again when the bridge is about to end with another lanes of traffic joining in from the Rochor Rd entrance near Suntec.

Now, if we look at the current design, the MCE is a five lanes expressway and only two lanes are dedicated to ECP while another three lanes are going to KPE/TPE. Now, why would so much traffic be suddenly going to KPE when previously there was not so much. It is plainly poor allocation of resources. To make things worse the roads from MCE to ECP and vice versa are winding and cars have to slow down thus reducing average speed.

Overall, the driving experience on the AYE-MCE-ECP has been poorer than previously but what choice do motorists have? In addition, the cost overrun on MCE is $1.8 billion with taxpayers picking up the tab while the building contractors earn their millions. So can the Ministers and civil servants please wake up and do what is right for Singapore rather than try to hang onto power and justify their mistakes time after time.

Winston Subramaniam

Editor note: We thank Mr Subramaniam for his contribution and encourage more readers to send in their letters and stories.

Card -carrying PAP member calls Minister Lui "dumb"

Dear SHS Editor,

Card-carrying PAP members and grassroots from Paya Lebar Branch (where WP is now in charge) are unhappy with Lui Tuck Yew and his transport policies. Minister Lui is even called "dumb" by his own kind.

More good years ahead. PAP is out of touch. These PAP members in Aljunied GRC know that they are wasting time. No matter how much time they serve in the grassroots and the dedication to the party, they will have zero chance of becoming a candidate for election because PAP will just parachute in a scholar.

His Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LimKunYun

Please keep my identity and email confidential.

P.S: The posting has been deleted and at the time of sending you this.

Transport Ministers: Ten Years of Rot, 2001 to 2011

SMRT was slapped with a record $2m fine yesterday for catastrophic train disruptions in Dec 2011. Regulator LTA said that the money will be donated to the Public Transport Fund to help needy families with their transport fares.

Minister for Transport, Lui Tuck Yew, appointed after the May 2011 General Elections admitted that Ministry of Transport and Land Transport Authority as the parent ministry of regulator must take part of the blame.

However, transport woes did not appear overnight but has been strained by the huge influx of foreign population and the mismanagement in the past decade. Not only are trains crowded to the point where commuters have to wait for several trains before being able to squeeze in, buses also run infrequently and are equally crowded.

In addition, roads are insufficient despite government collecting more taxes on roads. Jams in once highly efficient Singapore are now getting more common. Ordinary citizens can no longer afford a simple basic car in Singapore where transport policies have been grossly mismanaged by the government.

No men are more responsible for this rot than former PAP Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong (2001 to 2006) and Raymond Lim (2006 to 2011). Unfortunately, Singaporeans, who had paid for their salaries, continue to pay for their pensions as they enjoy the fruits of their idlefark.

In addition to enjoying their golden years with Singaporeans' monies, they continue to be rewarded through other means.

Yeo Cheow Tong is currently the Adjunct Professor at LKY School of Public Policy and he can be reached at sppyct@nus.edu.sg. He is also a member of investment committee at Tembusu Partners, a private equity firm. Tembusu is ran by Andy Lim, the husband of former PAP Minister Lim Hwee Hua. In fact, Yeo Cheow Tong is still sought after as a public speaker when he recently spoke to senior Vietnamese officials on public policy formulation procedures at the invitation of Temasek Foundation.

Former PAP Minister Raymond Lim Siang Keat and current East Coast GRC MP was appointed an independent director and senior adviser at fund manager APS Management after he left the cabinet. APS manages S$2.9b in assets. He was subsequently appointed senior adviser at John Swire and Sons (SEA) Pte Ltd, a giant Hong Kong conglomerate.

As many Singaporeans continue to struggle for their careers and families while competing against foreign talent, it seems that PAP Ministers get rewarded for their mistakes. Even SMRT has to pay a fine for their mistakes, but what do PAP Ministers need to pay?