No U-Turn Syndrome (NUTS) is a
term first coined by Singapore entrepreneur
Sim Wong Hoo, to
prominently describe the social behaviour of Singaporeans having a mindset of compliance to higher
authorities before proceeding with any action.
In his book Chaotic Thoughts from the Old Millennium,
he uses a comparison of traffic
rules in Singapore to those found overseas, to describe the
phenomenon : In Singapore, drivers are not allowed to make a
U-turn unless a sign
specifically allows them to do so, while in some other countries
drivers may make U-turns freely so long as the 'No U-turn' sign is
not present. Following that, this analogy is used to explain the
red tape he has
encountered with hard-nosed bureaucrats,
which in turn stifles the very creativity that
the Singaporean government has been trying to promote in the recent
years.[1]
NUTS is also considered as one of the major criticisms of the
rigid Singapore
education system, where students are taught from a young age to
obey instructions in an unquestioning manner, in a society where
grades and paper certification are emphasised at the expense of
some life skills.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_U-Turn_Syndrome
The only way out for Singaporeans is to vote PAP out in next
elections and go for complete reform of society.
