Stomper Vincent shares his disapproval over plans to deploy soldiers from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to help manage crowds during massive train breakdowns.
A report from the Straits Times earlier today (Aug 21) stated that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is beefing up its contingency plans for in the event of large-scale rail disruptions.
Soldiers will be roped in as marshals to give directions to stricken commuters.
The Defence Ministry also confirmed the move, saying that the SAF will work with LTA in the event of a major disruption, “while maintaining our primary responsibility to safeguard our security environment”.
Expressing his opinions about this new move, Stomper Vincent wrote in an email to Stomp:
“This news has created unhappiness for many Singaporeans and many have shared it to express concern.
“I hope Mindef can see this and will not approve soldiers to be deployed during major MRT breakdowns.
“I thought these public transport companies are listed and profit-driven?
“Military personnel are meant for defending Singapore, not for marshaling during train disruptions!
“This is a private company’s disaster. Not a natural and national disaster like floods, forest fires etc.
“How can a private company activate soldiers?”
The Stomper added that soldiers are funded by tax payers’ money and should not be deployed to manage problems of a private company.
Vincent is not the only one with such sentiments. Readers of The Straits Times report have also left comments expressing their disapproval of the plan.
David Lee wrote, “SMRT is a profit-making operation, are they going to pay for the services rendered by the soldiers?”
颜树芬 added that the only way the plan would work is if it was executed by a non-profit driven organisation.
Source: http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg
