Yesterday, two SMRT maintenance staff passed away in a tragedy that occurred along the tracks by Pasir Ris MRT station. Nasrulhudin Najumidin, 26, and Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, 24, were undergoing on-the-job training when the accident happened, and were pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Several details of the scene have been released, but SMRT is still working with the police to investigate further.
A statement by Patrick Nathan, SMRT’s vice-president for corporate information and communications, said, “We convey our deepest condolences to their families and are in touch with them to render support and assistance at this very difficult time.”
SMRT Trains’ managing director Lee Ling Wee also offered his apologies to everyone affected by the accident.
But are these words enough?
In an open letter published on The Kent Ridge Common, a relative of one of the deceased men questioned the real motive behind SMRT’s message of condolences and expressed resentment at the company’s attempt to point fingers away from itself.
“We have heard it all before,” the letter writes. “How can you say that you share our sadness? You do not understand our grief.”
It goes on to say that the two lives lost are a simple statistic and “just collateral damage” to SMRT.
“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.”
“Your carefully maneuvered words make us wonder: are you attempting to shift the blame to the deceased?” it questions. “At this point, the families are grieving at the loss of a beloved. But grief will soon turn into anger.”
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story used an incorrect photo of Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari. Our deepest apologies for our gaffe.
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