Open letter questions SMRT’s safety procedures
(A screenshot of the post)
An open letter to SMRT, reportedly written by a relative of one of the two men killed in the train tragedy near Pasir Ris MRT station on Tuesday, is questioning the safety procedures of the train operator and its response to the tragedy.
The letter was posted on the website of student publication The Kent Ridge Common on Wednesday. The letter was also posted on The Kent Ridge Common’s Facebook page, where it has been shared over 2,500 times.
The letter writer, who did not identify himself or herself, says the two staff, Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, 24, and Nasrulhudin Najumudin, 26, “followed your (SMRT) orders only to be betrayed”.
He or she added, “What we resent are your attempts to clear yourselves of any fault, insisting that you have observed all the standard operating procedures. If you did everything right, then your standard operating procedures must be flimsy.”
The two men, who were trainee staff, were hit by a train as they were about to conduct maintenance on a point machine located 200m away from Pasir Ris station. They had joined the company in January this year.
SMRT has said that it will review its safety protocols and will support the police and the Ministry of Manpower in their investigations.
As of early Wednesday, SMRT changed its Facebook profile photo to a black and white version of its logo.
The letter writer added, “Instead of being so quick to protect your interests, seek the humanity deep within you to acknowledge your mistakes and learn from them to ensure that this tragedy does not happen to any one else’s son. Will you take responsibility? Or will your public relations team continue to craft words to protect you from blame?
“At this point, the families are grieving at the loss of a beloved. But grief will soon turn into anger.”
