What are the KPIs for the Environment Ministry in flood prevention?
July 22nd, 2010 | 
Author: OPINION
Five floods in less a month with millions of dollars of losses – an unenviable “track record” which will see the Environment Minister from most developed countries getting the sack, but not PAP Minister of Environment Yaacob Ibrahim who may ironically receive a pay rise at the end of the year.
The performance bonuses of all PAP ministers are pegged (ridiculously) to GDP growth, never mind the fact that there is no direct correlation between the growth figures and their actual performance on the ground.
Being dependent largely on the global economy, Singapore’s economic recovery this year is nothing short of surprising, but the PAP ministers are quick to claim credit for themselves.
The Ministry of Finance has revised the growth figures for this year upwards to an unbelievable 13 to 15 percent, an indication that the PAP ministers will be receiving a fat bonus at the year end.
How much of this ”extraordinary” performance of the Singapore’s economy can be attributed directly to the PAP ministers’ performance is debatable.
GDP growth is the sum of all economic activities within the borders of a country and therefore it is the resultant hard work of all Singaporeans and NOT just that of the PAP ministers.
In fact, some like Mr Yaacob Ibrahim may even contribute to loss of economic productivity due to his failure to control the spate of rampant flooding which have hit even prime shopping districts like Orchard.
From “once in a fifty year” occurrences, Mr Yaacob now claims that “it is impossible to expect Singapore to be completely flood-free” which are echoed by the Prime Minister and his “forecaster extraordinarie” father Lee Kuan Yew.
Speaking to reporters yesterday at the Kallang River with the hapless Yaacob cutting a forlorn figure besides him, Lee stamped his authority to show who is in charge of Singapore:
“How can you say the response is sufficient? But at the same time, whatever we do, when we get extraordinary rainfall like we had recently, no amount of engineering can prevent flooding. There is a limited amount of space that you can dig underground, limited amount of space that you can have run-offs for canals.”
No Singaporean is expecting Singapore to be completely flood-free. The question is: is it acceptable for Singapore to be hit by flash floods five times within 30 days? Is this performance acceptable for a self-proclaimed first world government?
Enough of throwing smoke-screens to obfuscate the matter and cover up for their own incompetence. It is time for Mr Yaacob to list out clearly the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for himself and his ministry in the management of floods in Singapore lest we become a laughing stock in the eyes of the world, if we are not already one.
For example, what is the minimal number of “unpreventable” floods a year beyond which the Environment Ministry should get the rap for mismanaging the nation’s public drainage system? Is it one, two, three or ten?
Clearly five floods a month is not acceptable to the public. Or are Lee and Yaacob telling us that this is the best they can do as the world’s most expensive government?
PAP members and supporters, many of whom are new citizens and PRs have been busy “trolling” internet forums defending the beleaguered Yaacob on the filmsy grounds that flooding occurs more frequently in neighboring countries and the flooding is caused by abnormal weather patterns.
Being a developed country, Singapore should compare itself to other developed countries. The heavy downpour hits neighboring Johor and Kuala Lumpur as well, but no flooding were reported in these places.
Furthermore, though large countries like China are hit frequently by floods, its coastal cities like Guangzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing and Tianjin are almost never flooded. Even Hong Kong, which has seen its fair share of tycoons lately, is largely spared.
It is a shame that Singapore’s prime shopping district is flooded not only once, but twice in less than a month. How can we be a world class cosmopolitan city when we cannot even get the basics right?
When you are paid out of the world salaries, it is only natural that the people expect out of the world performance from you. Lee and his coterie of strawberry PAP ministers should stop pointing the fingers at Singaporeans for venting their frustrations at their gross incompetence. If you cannot stand the heat in the kitchen, then you might as well get out of it!
Mr Yaacob should cut the crap and tell us frankly the number of floods per year which are deemed “acceptable” by his ministry. Singapore can never be flood-free, but it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that the number of floods is kept to a bare minimum as much as possible to prevent unnecessary disruption to daily living.
Please join our Facebook page here and invite your friends to do so to create awareness of the current affairs affecting Singaporeans. Please use our online web form to contact us.
Posted in Opinion
KPI equal as long the supreme ruler are happy. Obviously yacob has achieve that.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Well said! This article had me nodding in agreement all the way until the end. The government has a nasty tendency to push off responsibility onto the people while covering their asses to come off as innocent and magnanimous. Disgusting! What other government in the world does that, you tell me.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Will the ‘Act the God’ intervene in next Singapore election?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Hope the next flood can do more good and wash the dirt clean from parliament house
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Agree, perhaps a different KPI should be set for each Ministry. Do a country risk assessment, “What can go wrong?” at ministry level, just like any big corporation.
Let the people know this assessment and have a transparent “penalty system” when some of this KPI has not been met, i.e. deducting the Minister’s pay, so that it will not just be based on GDP.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
was the rain resulting in the flood something rare and unusual?
To me, it was just a normal heavy rain that had happened before.
The difference is when that last happened, there was no flooding to this extent.
so, we cannot just blame it on the act of god. there is an explanation missing.
but since many bochap, it will be another case of lets move on.
regards
whiter than black
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
like the Orchard floods,the whole cabinet is a COMPLETE WASHOUT!
let’s clear the choked up system and flush the debri out of our way.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
On a average of 4.17 a month,we should get to 50 floods in one year.
That is his KPI—-50 floods in one year.
He was misquoted as saying one flood in 50 years.
Yep!He will be getting his performance bonus.Congrats.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
am i right to assume most citizens have not demanded an inquiry into the matter?
IF SO!
What does this mean about citizen mentality?
Is this evidence about the legendary mentality?
So many other previous issues.
I hope foreigners not reading this blog. They may understand about their mentality.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
First they blamed the drain blocked by debris, then the drain, then the heavy rain………
NEXT THEY WILL BLAME MARINA BAY……..
THEY WILL SAY MARINA BAY IS TOO SHALLOW; NEEDS TO MAKE IT DEEPER
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
In private section whoever earn a million dollar salary would be sacked if he screw something as big as this.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
i personally feel that singapore can be flood free because singapore is such a small island and the surrounding are all sea. Rainwater should be easily flow out to the sea and reservoir.
I can’t believe that the so call heavy rainfall can flood singapore. I more worry of sea water rising to flood singapore than the heavy rainfall.
Maybe some of the drain line should be diverted directly to the sea instead of the reservoir to release the overflood capacity.
I understand that some of the relevant authorities (eg.HDB) also manage drains within their territories. ENV/PUB should meet out with this other various authorities (HDB, URA, LTA, etc) to discuss on the necessary flood prevention.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
KPIs and Governance are only for lesser mortals. For them, there is no KPIs and Governance…. Why???
Lesser mortals below them will be sent to the guillotine when things happened. PAP are always perfect.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
MEWR has an expenditure budget of $1.09bn for FY2010.
we want accountability for our billions!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
They need to cooking course in france and so many function to attend in singapore for top people how to check the flood
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
did the finger pointed to anything human?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
If I m not wrong, it was Yaacob who echoed PM on the line “it is impossible to expect Singapore to be completely flood-free” and not the other way.
Why cant PM simply get rid of this incompetent Minister instead of trying to cover up for him? They should ask him to take the rap and resign so as to save the Govt from further embarrassment.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
to blackjack 7:43
“Maybe some of the drain line should be diverted directly to the sea instead of the reservoir to release the overflood capacity.”
That is the whole problem. Before Marina barrage was build stamford canal empties into the sea direct. Now they introduced marina bay and push the sea outwards, so the drain go to the reservoir-bay before going to the sea. All this is fine if the gradient is maintained. All drains work by gravity. If you don’t have the gradient, your discharge is not going to work properly. I suspect that when they installed the barrage, and when they do the dimensioning of the Bay and its canal feed heights, the gradient calculations and mouth of the gap 0.3km may have been compromised to cut costs.
So the discharge of the water in all the canals going to the reservoir-bay is very much worse off than before the dam constructed. Previously, gravity will empty out the stamford canal straight to the sea. Now they have to use pumps to pump out the collected water from stamford canal at the reservoir bay, and throw it back to the sea. And these pumps can’t beat gravity’s job, and dont forget the dam has huge pillars blocking the flow of canal water to sea even all the gates wide open.
That is the mother of all evils which the father of lies government don’t admit. It’s not true that no amount of engineering can solve this problem. China blasted open a dam to relieve floods on 17th July 2010. A simple engineering solution may be learned from their experience, i think.
zero
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
how much is the guy hiding behind paid again? many times more then the president of the united states? WHAT IS WRONG WITH US? knn
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
“How to become a good politician in Singapore”
1) Be a traitor – If the country is being invaded, side with them and be their translator.
2) Backstab your friends -Label any other party member more popular than you to be a communist. Lock him up for decades without trial.
3) No upgrading projects or funds for opposition districts to punish them. Wahahah! Those old geezers living there will learn their lesson when they walk up 4 storys every day to go home. Wahahaha!
4) Invent GRCs and redraw the boundaries to secure the most votes. E.g. I can say that people living in Yishun belong to GRCs in the East Coast.
5) Write a few books to increase my popularity.
6) Let my son be the next PM and insert all members of my family to vital positions in the government and major industries (except for the albino boy I hate).
7) If the president is stupid enough to challenge me, I will deny him of a state funeral. Who does he think he is? Spit (Pui*)
9) Claim millions in salary even when I am not lifting a finger except for forecasting.
10) Get my millions and say that the people are lazy, daft and ignorant among other things.
11) Import MILLIONS of foreigners into the country.
12) Let the foreigners take jobs from locals.
13) Encourage them to become citizens so that they can vote for me.
14) Let the foreigners take homes from locals. Don’t presume that I am going to build more flats just because I import so many foreigners. Wahahaha!
Oh, foreigners can rent their flats out while locals cannot find flats. God, I love screwing with the local so much!
15) Let the foreigners insult locals and call them dogs.
16) Always push responsibility. I am NEVER accountable for anything. I will NEVER apologize. Blame:
(i) locals for being whiners
(ii) locals for being complacent
(iii) locals for not being vigilant
(iv) God. It is an act of God. What do you want me to do?
17) Spend millions and millions to make sure foreigners feel at home. But not 1 SINGLE CENT on welfare for locals. Singapore is NOT A WELFARE STATE.
18) Take round the world overseas visits for no reason. Whopee! Round the world holidays for free! Must go away especially if there is a major screw up back in Singapore.
19) If sometime goes wrong. DISAPPEAR! Go MIA! This is good practice especially when SG is invaded.
20) Following the good tradition of selling Christmas island. Sell all of my countries’ land and power stations.
21) Increase GST
22) Give up more COEs, but increase ERP. Collect more money while pretending to control traffic.
Anymore?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
LKY said it unavoidable. How abt those who from now want to built their houses alot higher. Will the hands of URA like GOD give prescriptions to developers and URA tells what to do. If there are land flooded in low lying areas and the development is new, URA have a direct hand in the flood. Many developer have been telling URA there will be a freak flood. URA like GOD says NO MORE THAN..xx. I wonder if URA will from now play GOD in telling developers what level they can and cannot.
LKY said “extraordinary rainfall..it an act of GOD..”. We lost $58 billion dollars-it “an act of man”.
Our nation had changed.. we are too preoccupied with money. Losing money in stocks makes us feels pain.. We have no feeling for those who suffer loss due to flood. That $58 billions loss is nothing, it is too painful to spend $2 billions to upgrade the drains.
Million dollar ministers, you are shopping for your next house right..i am sure you know which estates to avoid.. those flood prone areas.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
“Even Hong Kong, which has seen its fair share of tycoons lately, is largely spared.”
I’m pretty sure tycoons do not cause floods =)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Mr Yaacob: “What is KPI?”
Sir, it is Key Performance Indicators.
Ha ha ha!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
What KPI ?. Got meh ?.
from a Chief Facility Officer !
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
“Even Hong Kong, which has seen its fair share of tycoons lately, is largely spared.”
MM LKY recently declared that no amount of engineering can prevent flooding – a statement first mentioned by his ignorant PM son.
Obviously, both MM and his PM son, as well as the useless NEA Minister Yaacob are ignorant of the massive engineering design and construction works that are ongoing in Hong Kong – which face more severe typhoon storms then what has lashed Singapore recently.
A report of this construction work is shown in the reference site below. [See Ref #1].
Ironically, this was featured in a Channel News Asia documentary about two months ago !!!
It is sheer arrogance on the part of these overpaid Ministers from the Pro Alien Party to make all their unsubstantiated statements that would normally be seen as lame excuses when offered by younger and less experienced youngsters.
When these are made by self-acclaimed talents – who are supposed to be the Best from the Betterest of the limited talent pool in Singapore, and deserving of the million dollars wages.
This can only reflect poorly on the larger pool of Singaporean talents that have not surfaced to challenge the Pro Alien Party, who depend on their dirty politics to fix any political challengers more abled than themselves but will not associate with their sub-standard politics.
.
.
Ref #1 – Urban flood control in Hong Kong – challenges and solutions
http://www.chinawater.net.cn/cwsnet/meeting-fanghong/v10110.pdf
Ref #2 – Proposed Drainage Tunnel Schemes for Flood Protection
http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr01-02/english/panels/plw/papers/plw0104cb1-734-1e.pdf
Ref #3 – Flood controls programs in urban Hong Kong
http://www.dsd.gov.hk/EN/Files/annual_reports/0304/EN/5.htm
Ref #4 – Recent Underground Spare Development in Japan
http://www.thinkdeep.nl/documents/Papers/Hanamura.pdf
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Is GOD a terriorists since he cause destuction and flood to singapore.
should we place GOD under dentention for 2 years maybe 4 years until our millionaire garman build more canals.
should we ask jesus to spy on GOD or vice versa just in case he want to cuase flooding
again. Since the garman encourge the MALAY community to spy on their children or relatives and cause discontent among races.
this policy only applied to regime like burma, north korea and now singapore.
My question “IS GOD A TERRIORIST” SHOULD GARMAN PUT HIM UNDER ISA
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I think the flood in Orchard is basically due to the fact that many of the drains are covered up (due to the lack of walking space) therefore reducing the speed of the volume of water that can be flowed into the drain. The downpour is considered a freak until recently where we start feeling the climate change affecting us directly. I’m sure it would be rectify after all these.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
KPI’s for flood prevention:
1. To successfully blame nature, freak events, public littering cause, “someone else” problem…etc
2. To start shift his ass from his chair only after 4 floods and enquire PUB to check again what is the cause.
3. To have very thick-skin, ability to act blur, ability to smoke public.
4. Excel in IFC (individual field craft) – successful in taking cover when presence is most needed.
5. Y-man (as in Yes).
6. Don’t blink eye in getting $2.6m from public while doing a monkey’s worth of performance.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Just a suggestion…
If $$ can solve the problem, it is not a problem.
We are tired already…. when thunderstorms come, people are in fear.
Can we pay the ministers in charge another $1m to $2m… even $3m bonus if he can solve the flooding problem by end of the year… ok… by next year!
While solving the problem at Orchard Road… pls also look into Kg Buangkok ok?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
DR. Yaacob Ibrahim’s KPI is “Kao Peh Ingrate”!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0