TR EMERITUS

Is the PAP of today exceptional, with unmatched competence and delivery? Afterall, that is their justification for the highest salaries in the world. Let’s look at its more recent track record.

Large numbers of NRIC numbers were recently unmasked, leaving Singaporeans exposed to identity theft, fraud, abuse and scams. Scammers regularly use the exposed NRIC numbers to appear credible, posing as government agents or business representatives. The PAP’s response was denial, deflection and defence, not to mention gaslighting. Later, PAP leadership sought to shift the burden to citizens (“just change” logins for SingPass or other systems where NRIC is used as an authenticator), framing the occurrence as a “miscommunication” between the Ministry and ACRA. Where is accountability? And what is being done going forward to protect sensitive data?

MRT train breakdown and service disruptions have become frequent and on one occasion protracted and severe. Services were crippled between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations from Sept 25 to Sept 30. Commuters in the West were severely affected, 500,000 out of 2.8 million MRT journeys. This was soon after an MRT fare rise. There was widespread anger, with many Singaporeans questioning the reliability of the public transport system, the competence of transport authorities, and the accountability of key decision-makers.

Despite significant flood prevention investments in infrastructure, Singapore has experienced repeated severe flooding and flash floods, raising questions about the PAP’s planning for population growth and climate resilience. Drainage systems in our country have become woefully inadequate, reminding older Singaporeans of a time before an earlier PAP fixed flooding.

Then there was SimplyGo, or what many call “SimplyGostan”! After spending untold amounts, well-paid mandarins and leaders did not realise that users wanted to see their card balances on entry, and then spent a further $40m to retain the existing system. ERP 2.0, a $500 million initiative, has attracted huge criticisms on its roll-out, design and implications, including its huge clunky On-Board Units and its location and speed monitoring, raising privacy concerns. ERP 2.0 was commenced in 2013, intended to rollout in 2020, was delayed, and now intended to be completed by the end of this year.

The list goes on and on. Here are a few more. Recall the broken PAP promises on Trace Together - that it would only be used to fight Covid-19, an assurance that later proved to be a lie. The Allianz acquisition of NTUC Income was called off following huge public outcry. Large swathes of Kranji Forest were discovered by a private citizen to have been bulldozed, ostensibly by mistake.

Singaporeans deserve better. We need leadership that insists on efficiency and delivery. We want accountability when things go wrong. PAP’s “ownself check ownself” is not working. The claims of outstanding competence and efficiency are simply no longer true.

* Facebook post by Lee Hsien Yang.