Veteran opposition politician Goh Meng Seng received a pleasant surprise when a civil servant reached out to him to provide an update on an issue Goh encountered, after the People’s Power Party secretary-general blasted civil servants for being “unthinking” and not using their “common sense or brain.”
Earlier Goh found someone fishing at Pierce Reservoir where there is a signange that says fishing is prohibited. When Goh tried to alert the park ranger, he found that the number listed on the signage directed him to the general Public Utilities Board (PUB) hotline.
Frustrated, Goh wrote on social media: “Why would they put up a phone number that is totally irrelevant to the signage? This is one of the annoying stupidity demonstrated by unthinking civil servants who just “follow the ruley”!”
Sometimes civil servants do not use their common sense nor brain when they set up signage. When I was at a reservoir…
Posted by Goh Meng Seng on Sunday, 11 November 2018
In a pleasant turn of events, the veteran politician very happily updated that he got to experience professionalism in the civil service when a park ranger called him up after the episode to provide him with an update:
“After the unpleasant encounter with bad signage put up, we had a pleasant surprise from the park ranger who called us back after settling the illegal fishing issue at the reservoir.
“Well we did not expect the park ranger to call us back but he did after checking on those teenagers fishing at the reservoir.
“He told us that he gave a lengthy lecture to the youngsters. I guess that is good enough. But at the same time he told us that in all other reservoirs in Singapore, except the one we went this morning, there are “designated sites” which allow people to do fishing.
“This is one fine example of good civil servants who know their jobs well, giving relevant information pertaining to issues not directly related their scope of duties but good relevant information to the public. Thumbs up for the Park Ranger at Upper Peirce reservoir!”