What is the problem?:

Preliminary investigations by SMRT have uncovered serious lapses.

Maintenance works for the Bishan portal sump pump system were discovered to not have been properly carried out since December 2016.

However, quarterly maintenance records were still duly signed off and submitted, indicating a possible falsification of records.

The investigations were conducted after the train tunnel flooded between Braddell and Bishan MRT stations and disrupted train services for more than 20 hours on Oct. 7.

At least three reports have been published in the immediate aftermath of the possible falsification of records finding being made public:

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Here are all the expert and observer opinions, ranked:

1. Possibly criminal ^Today

“If someone is committing this level of negligence, there could be some kind of crime.”

“Negligence is not just about bodily harm. A certain amount of monetary damage can also be constituted as a criminal offence.”

Park Byung Joon, urban transport expert from the Singapore University of Social Sciences

2. Serious consequences called for ^{Straits Times}

While SMRT staff were generally "diligent, conscientious and honest", serious action must be taken against all those found responsible.

"This will signal that those who fail their responsibilities face serious consequences."

Lim Biow Chuan, Mountbatten MP who also sits on the Transport Government Parliamentary Committee

3. Downright unacceptable ^Today

The actions of the crew are “downright unacceptable”.

“It’s disappointing. If you’re a technician or engineer with SMRT, you are tasked to carry out routine tasks. If you don’t play your part, the whole system will suffer consequences. You may think that it’s a small role, but the consequences can be huge.”

Lim Biow Chuan, Mountbatten MP who also sits on the Transport Government Parliamentary Committee

4. What other records have been falsified? ^Today

“I’m very shocked. If they have falsified records for this pump maintenance system, what else could they have been falsifying?”

Terence Fan, assistant professor and transport analyst from the Singapore Management University

5. Irresponsible behaviour ^Today

It is “irresponsible” behaviour by a small group of employees, who are the “weakest link” in the organisation.

“I am sure that the bulk of the employees are conscientious and have been working hard to ensure that our commuters have a smooth train journey.”

Most of the employees “have been working their guts out” to ensure the system was restored after the incident this month, and this ought to be an isolated incident.

Yee Chia Hsing, MP of Chua Chu Kang GRC, who also sits on the Transport Government Parliamentary Committee

6. A few bad hats ^Today

The results of the probe are quite shocking, given that there was a lot of emphasis on maintenance issues for trains in recent years.

“It doesn’t reflect the entire population, but it’s unfortunate that a few bad hats will spoil the image of the hardworking men and women who are trying to solve the engineering issue.”

Zaqy Mohamad, also MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC, who also sits on the Transport Government Parliamentary Committee

7. Not everyone's fault ^Today

People should not “paint every employee with the same brush”.

Cedric Foo, ex-chairperson of the Transport Government Parliamentary Committee

8. It's a people problem ^{Straits Times}

The findings pointed to organisational issues within SMRT, something the rail operator itself has admitted to.

"Even if they have the most up-to-date technology and a perfectly deployed system, it comes down to the people who are responsible."

Lee Der Horng, National University of Singapore transport researcher

9. Address deep-seated organisational issues ^{Straits Times}

The fact that the neglect of maintenance work was not detected for an entire year suggests that the problem is deep-seated.

Such underlying organisational issues must be addressed.

Park Byung Joon, urban transport expert from the Singapore University of Social Sciences

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