Mah Bow Tan on how he learnt to drive a bus to learn workers
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Mah Bow Tan on how he learnt to drive a bus to learn workers’ “trust”
April 30th, 2010 TEMASEK REVIEW
National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan, who had come under fire of late from Singaporeans for his failure to control sky-rocketing HDB flat prices, now tries to woo the man in the street by revealing his “common roots” during his younger days.
Mr Mah was a boss at the Singapore Bus Service in the late 1970s. Speaking during this year’s May Day dinner, Mr Mah revealed that he once learnt to drive a bus to understand the difficulties drivers face in reverse-parking a bus.
He did not elaborate more on whether his “experience” served any useful purpose to the workers or SBS.
In order to win trust from the workers, he also learnt how to “swear” in Hokkien though he did not mention the expletives he had picked up.
Mr Mah claimed that “the deep level of mutual trust and understanding among the tripartite partners was the ‘most fundamental and abiding’ reason for the recovery from last year’s recession.”
“If anyone thinks that was easy, just look at the situation in many other countries, where government, employers and unions were locked in conflict, unable to take difficult decisions because they simply did not trust one another,” he was quoted as saying in the Straits Times.
The “tripartite partners” refer to the government, employers and workers. Mr Mah forgot to add that there are no independent trade unions in Singapore who truly represent the interests of ordinary Singapore workers.
The largest trade union NTUC is a pseudo-PAP organization which is always led by a PAP minister. It has limited power or influence to fight for higher wages and better working conditions on behalf of the workers.
For example, many Singaporeans were forced to accept a wage cut during last year’s recession, but when the economy improves this year, their wages have yet to increase despite repeated exhortations by NTUC on employers to do so.
Fortunately for Mr Mah, he is expected to receive a hefty 8.8 percent pay rise this year on top of his $2 million dollar annual salary, which is more than four times that of U.S. President Barack Obama.
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Useless information is useless. Learn how to drive bus ? Does it helps control the rising price of HDB flats ?
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screw him la
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GO learn how to wash a bus first before u go behind the wheel.
talk is free
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He is trying to put himself on the worker shoes, need to try harder.
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no need to talk no use
just donate 5 years salaries
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Mah was the former boss of Singapore Press Holdings. Dunno chairman, CEO or what. I can't' remember the smaller detail.
That is why he can suka suka anytime go back to the press and sell himself.
Propaganda!
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i welcome him to sgbus forum
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he will end up driving into jurong or toa payoh air conditioned Interchange and said, it is the bus fault...not me. That's was how he drove HDB to a super high price and later said, it is a free market problem, not his problem.
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Originally posted by Ngweitong:
i welcome him to sgbus forum
well, HDB is willing to let him go and be your transport minister -
Originally posted by angel7030:
well, HDB is willing to let him go and be your transport ministerMah was formerly from the Transport Ministry.
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Originally posted by SBS9818A:
Mah was formerly from the Transport Ministry.
Yes, he was the one who introduced COE, and tell you, he cannot reverse a 1970 bus, because the driver never teach him, that you need 2 time pull back on the clutch to make it into reverse gear. And when he cannot reverse, he start swearing in hokkien at Ong Ah Heng. Your bus transport boss of that time -
Originally posted by angel7030:
Yes, he was the one who introduced COE, and tell you, he cannot reverse a 1970 bus, because the driver never teach him, that you need 2 time pull back on the clutch to make it into reverse gear. And when he cannot reverse, he start swearing in hokkien at Ong Ah Heng. Your bus transport boss of that timeu drive a.........................manual vehicle??????????u gd in gear changing???????????????? let me train u.......... how to engage GEAR............properly and efficiently....................
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Isn't there a minimum height requirement to be a bus driver? Can be quite dangerous if cannot see over the dashboard!
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I need to learn how to swear in hokkien to win my worker's trust? I guess thats how its done in SAF.
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while ah Mah is a soo kee...hainanese people, for you, you better learn how to swear in hainese or hakka to gain the top poeple trust, for them is the other way round ya.
how to swear in hainanese ar??? anything to do with chicken rice??
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but his wifey is aussie... so it should be aussie laced hainanese....hahaha...
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ya, the wife is so big, no wonder once i visited his room, only see his wife lying flat down, couldn't find him, must be under his wife big belly and cursing in Hokkien while gasping for air.
And his wife was cursing in Aussie.."shoudln't ar get married to tis small nerd, bloody damn small.."
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so SAF general go down to the lower ground for 1 day la?
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No mah bowowT will never understand the drivers' feelings, especially those who were learning and new drivers who may not be steady enough. did he got screwed from the moment he fasten his seat belt until he park the vehicle after every training? No. what bus he driving? try driving those with another carriage trailing at the back, long ones. Think like driving civilian luxury car? those long vehicles turning angle very different. timing to steer wheel on turning also different. signs says can u-turn you also cannot u-turn depending on wide of adjacent road he knows why? yes about generals and officers send them oon a one day mission training in the fields, ranger and sniper type.
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mah bow nao
mah bow lan
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Originally posted by sbst275:
so SAF general go down to the lower ground for 1 day la?
SAF got general meh??? all half type general, not even one full general -
Got lots of general. As long as the shoulder you see at least one star is general. In the event that the general cannot command or dies the next in the higher rank will have the responsibility to take over command.
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Originally posted by 4sg:
Mah was the former boss of Singapore Press Holdings. Dunno chairman, CEO or what. I can't' remember the smaller detail.
That is why he can suka suka anytime go back to the press and sell himself.
Propaganda!
Propaganda?
NOooOooooo ...
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We all give our sympathy to the circus clown.
Not haha funny, but hahah poor thing.