Singapore is a FINE city. Uniquely Singapore.
Yeah, we've seen the adverts and some of us has, as tacky as they are, bought the t-shirts too. There are things we're all proud to have achieved as a nation like having the world's best airport or the world's best port. I think, especially after reading the papers 2 days ago, we can pride ourselves at being the most anal in the world. Pardon my language.
Where else in the world could someone be fined for falling asleep in a public park? I can't think of any. OK, granted that I haven't been to many parts of the world and haven't ventured further than Java, East Malaysia and the Malaysia-Thai border, it still borders on the ludicrous that one could be fined for sleeping in a public park.
My eyes almost popped out at that headline and upon further reading, I felt compassion for the sleeper and utter disgust at the park ranger. I just can't fathom how someone falling asleep at a park bench while taking refuge from the rain can be deemed as a nuisance or even a hazard to other park users. Have you seen the number of dogs running around unleashed and the psychopaths who call themselves cyclists darting around in the very same parks?
I mean, c'mon, I'd have no qualms with summons being issued against inconsiderate park users such as those who practically set up a temporary home complete with cordons in a public park. I'd be smirking at the fellow who let his dog run unleashed and pee and poo all over the park without cleaning up after it. The defining issue is being inconsiderate. I think many Singaporeans fail in the respect and they do so miserably.
I'm not even going to talk about road users. I've practically given up hope of having peaceful drive where I don't have to maintain a vigilant eye on every corner. I'm referring to the recently publicised issue of returning your plates after eating at the local foodcourts. Something as simple as that but we all find it hard to do. Personally, I try to make it a point to clear my table, not for the next patron, but to ease the load on the cleaners, who more often than not, are senior citizens. Most tmes, I'm greeted with a great big smile and a nice thank you when they accept my used utensils at the clearing point. Gratitute, no doubt, that they have one less table to clear.
Almost all the local guys go through NS and no one dares leave behind his food tray unless they want to get left behind during book-out day. It's such a simple thing yet we just can't do it. Just this afternoon during lunch with the wife at one of the many foodcourts, I saw just how many people conveniently walk away from their tables without even attempting to clear their table. Is it because they are wearing business attire and cleaning up is beneath them that makes them act that way?
Honestly, if the nice old lady didn't come to my table to cart away my crockery at the time when I was stacking them up, I'd have done it myself. the fact that she said thank you to me for helping her stacking up my utensils to make it easier for her to carry it away speaks volumes of her character and just makes the inconsiderate act of many patrons. What is it about us Singaporeans that we can't do something as basic as this?
Is it the rat race that makes us so self-centered and so self-enamoured that we consider the basics of courtesy an being considerate beneath us? I mean most of us don't have maids to clean up and we don't expect our parents to clean up after us, but yet, we expect the elderly cleaners at the foodcourts to do the same for us. The best part of it all, many of us even ignores the cleaners after clearing up the table for us without even a hint of gratitude for giving us a cleaner place to eat, much less a smile and a thank you.
Try asking your mother to wipe the table clean before you eat and you might just get a stare so deep, your stomach churns. Go and complain to your father when your mother gives you that stare and he might just throw you out of the house.
Now, all we need is another campaign. I'm sure it will work just as well as how the courtesy campaign worked for us.
PS: Wave as a thank you doesn't mean you wave only your middle finger.
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