A two-bus collision that occurred at Bukit Batok Interchange on the evening of Sunday (Jul 11) left a total of seventeen people injured.
The response of Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) leader Dr Chee Soon Juan has been contrasted to that of the SMC’s current Member of Parliament Murali Pillai of the People’s Action Party.
Dr Chee and Mr Pillai went head-to-head in the nation’s 2020 General Elections, with Mr Pillai winning the parliamentary seat. However, Dr Chee has not allowed this to take away the commitment he has for Bukit Batok SMC. He recently shared on Facebook his visit to the scene of the shocking bus accident that occurred in the Bukit Batok Bus Interchange.
Dr Chee made his way to the site right after closing up his newly opened coffee shop Orange and Teal for the day. “Heard about the tragic news of the bus accident at the BB Bus Interchange just before closing the cafe this evening,” he wrote. “Went down to the scene after closing, by which time things were calmer. The bus was a wreck.”
After wishing those who were injured a quick recovery, Dr Chee said that he was “look(ing) forward to the report about how the accident happened and what measures can be taken to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.”
Many netizens have expressed their admiration for Dr Chee’s dedication to the community. While many took note of his commitment, others held a different conversation, comparing Dr Chee’s in-person response to that of Bukit Batok’s MP.
About six hours before, Mr Pillai had already shared an informative post on Facebook of the incident, thanking the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) for quickly responding to the scene. “The matter will be investigated by the authorities,” he wrote. “Please keep the injured persons in your prayers.”
Some netizens took to Dr Chee’s post to express that they did not find Mr Murali’s addressing of the issue on social media to be enough of a show of concern.
“Where is the PAP Minister for B(ukit) B(atok)?” one netizen asked, noting that Dr Chee did not win a Parliamentary seat. “Even (if he is) not a Minister, (he’s) there for the people.” Others left their two cents on this comment.
The following day, Mr Pillai posted a video live from the Bukit Batok Bus Interchange, sharing an update on the meeting he had with Tower Transit CEO Winston Toh and Land Transport Authority senior officers. “The focus of the discussion was to deal with safety concerns expressed by residents following the terrible accident,” he wrote. “Mr Toh outlined existing and additional measures that have been put in place to enhance safety including deployment of extra marshals.”
He also shared that out of the 13 people who were brought to the hospital for injuries, 11 have already been discharged. “I also took the opportunity to meet our bus captains. They are shaken by the incident but resolved to look forward to comply strictly with the safety regime,” he said. “As for the investigations, this is being led by Traffic Police. LTA is doing a review too and they will disclose details in due course.”