SKM chief says Singapore will need many years to improve
social graces
Channel NewsAsia - Friday, August 22
SINGAPORE: Singaporeans have been urged to
improve their social graces as the country prepares to host the
Youth Olympic Games in 2010.
But the new man in charge of making Singapore a more gracious
society said that a sea—change in attitudes and social habits will
take several generations at least.
For example, an initiative launched in 2002, encouraged
commuters to stand on the left side of escalators at train
stations, leaving the right lane free for those in a rush. However,
this habit is hardly practised.
And in busy foodcourts, customers walk away after eating,
leaving their food trays behind. This often happens even after an
initiative to get customers to clear up after themselves was
recently launched.
The Singapore Kindness Movement hopes to get the message across
better by targeting the home, workplace and schools. One way to do
it is to regularly highlight the efforts of gracious
Singaporeans.
Koh Poh Tiong, Chairman, Singapore Kindness Movement, said: "I
don’t think we should expect a transformational change in the next
few years. As I said, it may take a generation, or two generations
or three generations.
"But I believe as long as we can improve, in our behaviours and
our courtesy, bit by bit each day, I think that’s good enough."
The Singapore Kindness Movement started over a decade ago, but
currently only 40 individuals have pledged their support to the
cause. Its chairman wants to increase that number, to one million
pledges. — CNA/vm
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The last IMF meeting in
Singapore, Lee hsien loong launched the smiles
movement/campaign to get Singaporeans to smile.
Now, they want Singaporeans to improve social graces for the Youth
Olympics 2010.
Who is this KOh Poh
Tiong? Point fingers at the common people leaving
out the leaders who run this country.
The leaders, too, need to set good examples. It
is so "gracious" for lee hsien loong to say to fix the
oppositions. He is demonstrating he is so
"gracious". The LKY and LHL are "gracious"
to make the oppositions bankrupt. If the leaders can't
be gracious, don't expect much from the common folks.
