NParks has apologised for using “inappropriate language” towards feedback provider Dixon Liw in a statement released yesterday.
A staff from NParks outright accused Liw as someone who is “out to find trouble with NParks,” simply because he tried to highlight an issue which posed a potential safety hazard to pedestrians in his area.
Liw first discovered that tree pruning in his area may have led to damages on drain coverings when he saw significantly marred drain covers with tree parts lodged between the grates of the drains while he was on his regular jogging route.
He alerted the National Environment Agency and Land Transport Authority to the matter, following which LTA took action and fixed the issue.
However, the same thing happened again during the next tree pruning.
This time, Liw emailed the National Parks Board and he was CC-ed in a reply openly accusing him of being a troublemaker. The staff who wrote the email, a Sawinikasni bin Awi who appeared to be a manager at NParks, then interrogated Liw about how he can be so sure that it was the tree pruning that led to the damaged drain covers.
NParks’ deputy chief executive Leong Chee Chiew apologised to Liw, saying that the staff who wrote to Liw has been counselled:
“The National Parks Board (NParks) is aware of this incident, and has contacted Mr Dixon Liw to apologise for our staff’s inappropriate language. We have also counselled the staff involved regarding his attitude towards the feedback provider.
“NParks recognises that feedback from the public helps us to manage our green spaces better, and we appreciate the effort Mr Liw took to alert us to the damaged drain gratings.”
The drain covers have supposedly been repaired today.