Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow’s response to recent spate of train faults draws backlash from netizens
Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow’s recent response in Parliament regarding the reliability of Singapore’s MRT system has sparked widespread backlash from netizens and public transport users, igniting heated discussions across online platforms.
Following Mr Siow’s responses to questions on rail disruptions on Monday (22 Sept), one Reddit user took to the r/SingaporeRaw subreddit to voice their frustrations.
“Honestly sian listening to the excuses for train breakdowns already,” wrote the Original Poster (OP).
Honestly sian listening to the excuses for train breakdowns already.
byu/paperboiko inSingaporeRaw
This quickly resonated with others who share similar concerns.
Minister’s ‘realistic expectations’ response draws criticism
In his parliamentary response, Mr Siow remarked that “train delays happen in every system, in every city”.
He also compared rail breakdowns to phones or computers that need restarting, or cars that break down occasionally.
Source: Jeffrey Siow on Facebook
His comments came just days after SMRT said on 17 Sept that recent disruptions were “isolated cases, not systemic issues”.
Mr Siow had said that “zero disruptions” to the train system was an “unrealistic expectation”, which only seemed to fuel the frustration of commuters.
Commuters express frustration
Addressing Mr Siow’s comments, the OP began by expressing their growing dissatisfaction with the government’s pledges, saying:
Honestly, getting damn tired of the excuses.
While acknowledging that no one expects perfection, the commuter argued that “nowadays it feels like every other week kena some major delay or breakdown”.
They questioned how this could not be a deeper structural problem after so many years.
Source: picture by Poike on Canva, for illustrative purposes only
They also criticised the removal of bus routes, saying that when trains broke down, commuters were often stranded.
The free bus bridging service was dismissed as a “complete joke”, with people forced to “wait for ages just to squeeze in like a sardine can”.
Accountability was another key concern raised.
The OP compared the MRT service to Singapore Airlines (SIA), suggesting that if SIA experienced similar levels of service disruption, the CEO would likely be forced to apologise or step down.
But because the MRT is part of daily life, the OP felt that Singaporeans were being “taken for granted”.
Netizens rally behind Redditor
Mr Siow’s comments did not sit well with many on social media, with many netizens agreeing with the OP.
Some pointed out that such remarks would never have been made under the late Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.
Source: Reddit
Another joked darkly about how absurd it would sound if the Ministry of Health had used the same defence during the Covid-19 crisis.
Source: Reddit
One netizen bemoaned what they saw as a lack of solutions to the problem.
Source: Reddit
The OP ended their post by referencing a comment they found particularly relatable and asked why commuters “have to suck it up”.
They added that the situation reinforces the perception that policymakers are “completely detached from the ground” and do not understand the daily struggles of commuters.
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Featured image adapted from Mustsharenews and Jeffrey Siow on Facebook.
