[1]From the Flickr page of xcode
Tan Kin Lian believes Singapore should revert to being a “fine” society [4]
Singapore used to be a “fine” society. There is a fine for littering and for jay-walking. This has been relaxed for the past one or two decades.
The environmental agency is now taking action to enforce littering. It is time to take action to enforce other aspects of our law, such as jay-walking and cheating. We need to revert back to our fine and orderly society.
Rex is surprised that the government will spend 12 million dollars [5] for the anti-litter campaign
I was so surprised today to read that the government will spent TWELVE MILLION DOLLARS on the campaign to enforce no-littering habits. TWELVE MILLION DOLLARS. Oh my god. The already filthy rich newspaper, topnotch media companies, are no doubt the main beneficiaries, carrying full page advertisements, creating commercial clips run on prime time TV
Chee Ming [6] writes that foreign workers, which comprise 20 percent of Singapore’s population, should be reminded as well about the campaign
It's strange that we have to enforce law to deter littering when we have litter bin all around Singapore. In fact, I suspect Singapore is the country that has the highest proportion of rubbish bin to population.
Since we were well-educated from young not to litter, I think the fine imposed on littering is targeted at Singaporeans who are less well-learned, or well-taught, or both. Oh, and don't forget the 20% of the population whom we called “foreign workers”.
Uncle Sha [7] wonders why the litter issue is treated by the media as a headline news story
For me personally the topic at-hand does not have any merit to be bumped as top headline.
How about local issues such as disparity in high and low income earners, the growing number of homeless in Singapore, and such.
I know that the NEA is trying to drum up the message of us not to litter in public, but I felt the majority of such litterbugs are actually our new Foreign Talent and Foreign Workers.
Trial of tears suggests some measures to humiliate the litterbugs [8]
a) …publish the address of litterers and legally allow the public to litter the litterer's home for a week.
b) Don't just fine litterers. Instead make them wear a huge board around their necks and stand at busy areas proclaiming their anti-social act. Also publish their identities on Facebook for everyone to see.
c) I personally like this one. Make them work in an incineration plant or food recycling plant for a week doing tasks that exposes them to the stench of rubbish. Let's see how they like the smell of what cleaners are exposed to. Better still send them to work in a plant that recycles human waste.
d) Make litterers bear the cost of cleaning up the area they litter for one year. Yes, littering is not free. There is an actual monetary cost involved.
The anti-litter campaign has generated a debate on whether foreign workers [9] should be blamed for the pollution problem in Singapore. The discussion became more intense after the freak flood [10] in Singapore last week with some netizens blaming foreign workers for the trash accumulation in the city. Meanwhile, foreign workers are reminding [11] Singaporeans that the locals should not blame the influx of foreigners as the only reason why littering is getting worse.