I was on the train this morning on the way to work when the trains stopped for a long time at Bradell MRT. The doors kept closing and opening and after the 6th time, the driver announced to the passengers "Please do not stand in the way of the closing doors. You are delaying the train service." Despite the announcement, the doors kept opening and closing. The rest of the commuters were starting to get restless and hissing sounds were heard, obviously showing their displeasure at the unidentified culprit. Then just as suddenly another announcement came on. "One of the train doors is faulty. This train will terminate here. All passengers please alight and board the next train. ...."
So, like a herd of anak kambing, all of us got up and left the train. Just as I reached the door, there was a standstill. Some passengers, out of sheer frustration, started to push their way out. The people behind me started to do the same. I was about to scream at the idiot who was jabbing her bag against my back when I realised "Hey I'm floating!!!" The people behind me were pushing and the people in front of me were moving so I was moving forward involuntarily.
Apparently the people who had alighted earlier have positioned themselves right at the door, so that they will be the first to board the next train. They refuse to budge and the people still inside the train were stuck. Seriously, you'd think people have more brains than that. If they do not make way for the people to alight, the train can't move and no next train can come. It's crazy the way selfishness and kiasu-ism rears its ugly head in moments like this.
And that was not the end of it. When the next train came, push really came to a shove when everybody rushed to get onto the train. As I was being "floated" into the train, I can't forget the look of bewilderment of the guy who was trying to alight from the train. He had this look of fear and disbelief in his eyes. Considering how deserted Braddel station is, he must have had a rude shock seeing so many people at the station. Despite the circmstances I almost chuckled.
2 particular ladies at the back of the herd, started shoving really hard when the usual warning sounds of the door closing sounded. By then thankfully, I was already inside the train, squeezed between a lady with a briefcase and another kakak. The people who were near the door started screaming in Mandarin to the two ladies but
they put on this muka sardin look and kept shoving. One lady wearing a T-shirt with Lego emblem started cursing in Hokkien at those two. The sardin faced people were emotion-less. To be fair they were not the only two at fault. Every other person was shoving too. As I looked around me, I realised there was a lady with a todller probably on the way to a child care. Had the lady not carried her son, I'm sure the toddler would have been trampled. No one gave priority for the lady with the young child to alight or board. It was strictly FOR EACH HIS OWN.
For a minute, I began to think what would Singaporeans do in the event of a real life evacuation. Like the terrorism situation at London. Those not killed by the gas/bomb/bullet would inevitably die from being trampled or not being able to leave in time due some people's selfishness. Is this where civillisation was suposed to bring us? I ponder.....
Oh and on another note. No more trains for me!!!!!
14 comments:
shsuya, I agree with you about the fate that will befall us Singaporeans when calamity strikes. If I really can, I would not only say "No more trains for me", I would go as far as saying "No more Singaporeans for me"..too bad I can't so I just have to live with it.
yeah man... especially rush hour.
now i stand in packed buses & trains with my elbows jutting to keep distance eversince my face slammed the pole.
Yaslam--> its scary ain't it thinking how selfishness will be downfall of all Singaporeans...
Lisa---> ape ko buat seh sampai face terslam kat pole?
Kak Liza---> too nice? *chokes on my drink while reading* ye lah tu.
I was about to scream at the idiot who was jabbing her bag against my back when I realised "Hey I'm floating!!!"
As I was being "floated" into the train...
Thanks for giving me a good laugh. Insane yet very hilarious. Float... hahahah... giler.
On a more serious note, me, my wife and kids went to Junction 8 today by train. It wasn't packed but there were no seats. And when I say no seats, I mean there are seats but they're available for only a second or two because inconsiderate, eagle-eyed passengers run for it (the seat) as if their lives depended on it. My 3½ year old daughter was left standing throughout our journey. My wife (with my daughter) tried approaching an empty seat A FEW TIMES but every attempt was unsuccessful. I got a little pissed and said aloud to my wife "Don't bother trying. These people don't even care."
It is moments like these that a haemorrhoid epidemic - only to those who are inconsiderate - would bring me great pleasure. And when they see me and my family sitting comfortably, they'd cry their eyeballs out wishing the haemorrhoid "curse" be lifted from them for they have regretted and learnt their lesson.
jurong east interchange is the worst for this. its all push push push and shove. the worst of kiasu.
then i'm sure they all get to work and put on a nice smile to pretend they are really a nice person to their boss and customers.
The authorities are too afraid to solve the problem of people hogging the entrance of MRT trains.They only handle clear cut cases and always leave grey areas unresolved. They should announce something like" The lady in yellow, please stand clear of the door" to shame them. Use dialect or other language if it is more effective on the person. If you notice carefully, those hogging the door entrance are normally of a certain gender and age. Why cant't the LTA people be more innovative and learn the proper way to solve our social problem. This shameful behaviour has been happening since the MRT was launched.
is this anything new?
you should've published photos in your blog to shame them :>
Ayong--> I have seen happen myself. This old man kept rushing to available seats on the train only to be beaten by the "young and fit" every single time.
Mark--> Oh yes J.E is the worst I agree tats y I always take the orchard route even though by JE will be faster.
Cultured--> I never noticed before that they r of a particular gender n age.. I'll take note the next time I take a train. And yeah... targeted announcements would be ideal..
Rani--> I wish I did but the train was so packed I hardly had space to lift up my finger to scratch my nose. But it would have been great if I could snap their photo.
Ever wondered why Singapore has the most announcements / educational posters in the MRT stations and in the trains, telling the commuters what to do and not to do? You hardly get this kind of excessive civic education in the stations or the trains in other countries. This tells you how far Singapore is from being a gracious society when the people gotta be constantly reminded of behaving themselves.
welcome to sinkarpore!!! Lurv this place to bits!!!
One of a kind!! CLASSIC!!! wahahahahha ^-^
If you treat people like dogs, they will behave like dogs.
"Mine is a very matter-of-fact approach to the problem. If you can select a population and they're educated and they're properly brought up, then you don't have to use too much of the stick because they would already have been trained. It's like with dogs. You train it in a proper way from small. It will know that it's got to leave, go outside to pee and to defecate. No, we are not that kind of society. We had to train adult dogs who even today deliberately urinate in the lifts." - Lee Kuan Yew on Singapore society, The Man & His Ideas, 1997
The incident you mentioned and those reported by the readers are common occurence in our MRT trains and buses. Imagine how angry I was, when I gave up my seat to a pregnant lady only to be snatched away by a young man with a tie. I had no alternative, but to tick him of and demanded that it be given to the lady in question. Let us not fret over it except to accept that our moral education has failed disastrously.
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