SINGAPORE: The MRT train service disruptions this month affecting three different rail lines, the continued rise in drug reoffending rates and the threat of terrorism on the back of an assault case at a church are expected to be raised when parliament next sits on Wednesday (Feb 26) for the Budget debate.
Members of Parliament (MPs) have also filed questions regarding the possibility of further cooling measures by the public housing authority, ways to improve aviation safety and the benefits arising from Singapore being the filming location for British band Coldplay’s music video.
In an order paper released on Tuesday, MPs asked what actions will be taken to prevent similar incidents on the MRT network following three disruptions in less than a week on the North-South Line, North-East Line and Circle Line.
The service disruptions occurred on Feb 7, 10 and 11, affecting peak-hour journeys.
The Land Transport Authority said on Feb 13 that it was working closely with train operators SMRT and SBS Transit to identify the root causes.
Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai from the Progress Singapore Party asked for an update on the lessons learnt from the disruptions and what actions will be taken to prevent further train breakdowns.
Similarly, Hougang MP Dennis Tan from the Workers’ Party (WP) asked about steps to minimise or avoid similar incidents in future. He also wanted to know if any of the service disruptions were caused by maintenance issues.
On the threat of terrorism, MPs filed questions in light of the recent assault case at Church of the Holy Spirit and various overseas attacks.
MP Christopher de Souza from Holland-Bukit Timah GRC noted that the incident at the church was the second one in less than half a year. The first was at the Church of St Joseph in Bukit Timah last November.
Mr de Souza asked how the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) intends to strengthen collaboration among religious institutions, their surrounding communities and security agencies to be able to better detect potential security threats early and prevent them.
He also wanted to know whether the ministry has plans to give further assurance to the public regarding their personal safety at places of worship.
West Coast GRC MP Rachel Ong asked whether schools, places of worship, hospitals and public institutions are being prepared to respond to potential terrorist attacks, in view of the rise of extremist threats.
Similarly, WP MP Gerald Giam from Aljunied GRC asked about measures being taken to prevent and mitigate deliberate vehicular ramming attacks in areas with high human traffic, including at nightlife districts and public events.
He also asked whether MHA has conducted risk assessments on the likelihood of such attacks in Singapore and if so, what were the key findings and action plans.
Recently in other countries, there have been various incidents of cars ramming into pedestrians, including in Germany earlier this month when an attack in the southern city of Munich wounded 30 people.
