Apr 11, 2012 - ST Forum
THE editorial ('Cleaning sector should not be a dark spot'; last
Friday) has not come a day too soon. As a frequent visitor, I am
prompted to ask if Singapore has taken a holiday from the
cleanliness drive that was once second nature.
I wouldn't say Singapore is less green now, but it is undeniably
much less clean. So much so that a friend, a Dubai resident who
visited Singapore, told me that when it comes to public hygiene
now, Singapore cannot hold a candle to Dubai. He cited an example
of how he almost threw up when he used a public restroom. That has
also been my recent experience.
Let us not place the onus of making the city clean only on the
cleaners and contractors. Doubtless, they do a perfunctory job
these days, but how about the residents and visitors? Their
contributions to the filthy state of affairs are enormous.
People in general, excluding the Japanese and their ilk, are not
given to cleanliness. The sense of hygiene has to be imposed and
enforced.
Singapore was once famed for being a 'fine' city - in two senses
of the word 'fine'. But now I find pavements plastered with dog
poo, and parks strewn with cigarette butts, drink cans and plastic
bags with leftover food.
If Singapore wants its lost reputation as a clean city back, it
must deal with the inconsiderate members of the public, and
lethargic contractors and cleaners.
C.V. Sukumaran
