Thursday, January 25, 2007
Chewing gum ban in Singapore
The chewing gum ban was enacted in 1992 and revised in 2004.
This policy clearly portrays one of the five principals of governance, pragmatism which is the
practical, matter-of-fact way of approaching or assessing situations or of solving problems.
Chewing gum was causing serious maintenance problems in high-rise public flats, with vandals disposing of spent gum in mailboxes, inside keyholes and even on elevator buttons. Chewing gum left on floors, stairways and pavements in public areas increased the cost of cleaning and damaged cleaning equipment. Gum stuck on the seats of public buses also constantly vexed passengers. It was then reported that vandals had begun sticking chewing gum on the door sensors of MRT trains, preventing the door from functioning properly and causing disruption of train services. Such incidents were rare but costly and culprits were difficult to apprehend. In January 1992, Goh Chok Tong, who had just taken over as Prime Minister, decided on a ban.
It is indeed a wise move and choice of the government to prohibit the import and bringing in of chewing gum into the country. Many of us, Singaporeans often take things for granted and do not make an effort to take care and treasure the things around us. Take the vandalising of public buses and lifts for example.how many countries in the world actually provide these facilities for their citizens? Instead of taking care of them, some of us, being extremely inconsiderate and reckless, had to vandalise and cause damage to them. We do not deserve the privilage of having chewing gum in our country.
In the mid1990s, Singapore's forbidding laws began to receive intense international coverage and attention from civil rights activists. Many in the outside world even saw laws such as the ban on chewing gum as excessively aggressive and even autocratic. However, i feel that Singapore had the rights to formulate its own policies based on its own unique political and cultural values. Furthermore, policies such as banning chewing gum would result in greater overall benefits for the country. We can now sit down on the seats of public buses without having to worry about getting our clothes dirtied, we can now walk on the roads, without having to worry about getting chewing gum stuck in the soles of our shoes, we can now enjoy a clean and green environment in Singapore.
This is of the many policies that the Singapore government has implemented to effectively solve problems that Singapore had faced.
My mind's unweaving/ 3:43 PM
