Penny wise, pound foolish. The same can be said of almost all govt/GLC contract jobs.
For example, if the govt asks three companies for the quotations of a project,
Company A charges $20K
Company B charges $30K
Company C charges $18K
Company C will always get the job. The lowest bidder always gets the job. Efficiency, reputation, speed, quality etc are largely ignored.
Also, you have to wonder why SMRT has to stubbornly seek cost-effective (read: cheap) solutions? Is SMRT facing severe financial difficulties, so much so that belt-tightening measures have to be implemented? Will the cost savings trickle down and translate into lower fares for commuters?
Or are they seeking their own selfish cost-cutting KPIs and thus obtain fatter salaries and bonuses?
Singaporeans, you are witnessing first-hand the perils of crony capitalism, which you had always closed one eye to. If you're not angry yet, you should be. Because the next cock-up under these self-serving nincompoops may result in deaths, perhaps even the deaths of your loved ones.
Saw Phaik Hwa is just the tip of the iceberg. The rot extends far down to her lieutenants and underlings, and stretches into the realm of abject political leadership. It seems that the mainstream media is portraying Saw Phaik Hwa as the bogeywoman to absorb all blames, but do not be distracted from the fact that this has been a systemic failure.