I AM a Canadian who visited Singapore in 1995 for two weeks. It
was the cleanest city I had ever been to. I came back a year later,
and again was impressed by how immaculate the country was.
I returned on June 2 this year to enjoy Singapore's famous food
and the Great Singapore Sale, but was very disappointed. The
cleanliness of the city is gone. I spent days walking and taking
public transport to various parts of the city, and noticed an
appalling amount of paper and plastic rubbish in the parks and on
the streets.
I asked those I met why there was a litter problem, and one
common comment was that it was due to the people's attitude.
Another common response was: 'It's the immigrants.'
A garbage worker said the problem had become worse in the last
five years. A young woman said: 'Singapore has a lot of problems.
We have to worry about our money and how to make a living; the
litter is not our problem.'
I soon witnessed acts of littering and it infuriated me. A woman
with her teenage son and daughter tossed a green plastic drink bag
over a railing onto the grass. I yelled at her from down the
street, but she just laughed. I saw a construction worker walking
past a rubbish bin and placing a can on a wall a farther 10m away,
before continuing on his way.
It really upsets me to see the once-pristine Singapore turning
into just another grubby, trash-laden metropolis. This litter
problem is a blight on Singapore's reputation, and I hope
Singaporeans will address this disrespect for their country.
One way is for people to take all rubbish with them after
leaving public places and place it in a trash bin, and not on the
ground, a wall, a bench or in the park.
Community groups can get together to clean up the streets in
their neighbourhoods. The city can promote cleanliness through mass
media campaigns.
Keeping Singapore clean is the responsibility of everyone -
citizens, immigrants and tourists.
James Cruikshank
