One of Time Magazine’s Heroes of the Environment, World
Toilet Organization (WTO) founder Jack Sim tells
us why we are not to be blamed for the dirty toilets in
Singapore.
I used to daydream a lot and the teacher found
me a nuisance because I asked too many questions beyond the
subject’s scope. As such, I was always asked to stand outside the
classroom. Sometimes I got caned also. But I took it as a kind of
resilience building. In fact I was so used to getting caned on
stage that I overcame my stage fright.
Since I was young, I’ve always wanted to be an
artist. I used to stay back in school in the Arts Room doing
ceramics or painting till late. Sometimes I’d return to school
after dinner, climb over the fence and continue working on ceramics
till midnight.
I owned businesses in construction and real
estate development. In 2005, there was enough money in the bank for
me to retire. That’s when my social work began. It allowed me to
take on the role of an artist in creating social solutions.
In 1996, Mr. Goh Chok Tong mentioned that dirty
toilets were a measurement of our graciousness. I was searching for
meaning in life then and I was sure that no one would do anything
about the “dirty toilets” situation so I decided to do something
about it. I promptly set up the Restroom Association of Singapore
(RAS) in 1998. The WTO was subsequently formed in 2001.
I am not IT-savvy. I cannot type with all 10
fingers.
You cannot blame people for the dirty toilets.
It is the infrastructure and cleaning system in the toilets that do
not deliver. And what kind of cleaning services do you expect if
cleaners are only getting paid $600 a month? Cleaning is a
professional job. Try paying $1,000 and getting a professional to
do the job and the situation will be better.
My biggest heartbreak is that bureaucrats waste
my time when I talk to them.
I work outside the country most of the time and
receive the red carpet treatment overseas. But over here, I am not
really welcome.
We can be 50 times better than what we are
today but because we are seen as the most well-managed country in
the world, the civil service does not see how much more they can
improve.
The youth of today are the most promising
generation in history.
I wish not to be remembered. It is more
important to remember the organization and for it to continue to
survive and serve people with new blood.
You want people to be creative but the culture
is not there because when you speak up, you are labeled a bad guy.
But actually it’s the honest guy who speaks up.
My fear is to die without doing enough.
Interview by Darryl
Koe
