Posted on 04/08/2024 1:09:35 PM PDT by aquila48
1 Mr Chairman, creating a Clean, Green and Resilient Shared Future for Singapore is a collective effort.
2 During our Forward SG engagements, Singaporeans acknowledged that the whole society needs to work together to ensure that Singapore remains a clean, green and safe home.
Keeping Singapore clean and safe
Shared Collective Responsibility
3 Our education efforts and campaigns over the years have paid off, and Singaporeans are generally civic-minded. However, we continue to observe some persistent issues, that require us to go beyond just public education.
4 Public hygiene remains a top priority for MSE. Ms Rahayu, Mr Liang Eng Hwa and Mr Murali Pillai have asked about MSE’s efforts to enhance cleanliness. Minister Fu announced earlier that MSE will designate 2024 as the Year of Public Hygiene. This year, we will be working more closely with the community and ramping up our efforts to address persistent pain points, such as littering hotspots and dirty public toilets. The pandemic may be over, but Singapore needs a clean environment to be well-prepared to tackle future public health threats.
5 Based on our cleanliness surveys, many still believe that the responsibility to keep Singapore clean lies with the Government and our “army of cleaners”. Our cleaners are already busy cleaning up natural litter, such as fallen leaves, and accidental litter, such as spillages. Let us not add to their heavy workload with intentional litter by leaving or throwing our litter for them to clean up after us.
Multi-pronged Approach to Cleanliness
6 To tackle ongoing and persistent issues, we adopt a multi-pronged approach. Legislation and enforcement are critical to help us tackle the inconsiderate behaviour of a small number of people who are not as socially responsible, and to shape social norms for the wider population.
7 Ms Nadia Samdin asked about the Tray Return Initiative. This was launched in 2013 to encourage diners to return their trays after their meals. However, the Tray and Crockery Return Rate remained low despite public education efforts. By commencing enforcement in September 2021, we managed to cement new social norms and increase the return rate from 35% to over 90% today.
8 To Ms Nadia’s query, tray return is a key measure that helps tackle bird nuisance issues at hawker centres. NEA currently works with stakeholders such as Hawkers’ Associations and cleaning contractors to clear used crockery promptly and implement proper food waste management. NEA, together with the Town Councils, has also implemented anti-bird measures such as netting at tray return racks. Bird control efforts are also carried out where necessary.
9 To Mr Gan Thiam Poh’s query, we similarly use both public education and enforcement to curb high-rise littering. While we continue to educate the public on the dangers of high-rise littering, offenders, including first-timers, are sent to court and receive stiffer financial penalties and Corrective Work Orders (CWOs).
10 In July 2023, we introduced the statutory presumption provision for littering from residential flats to hold the registered owners or tenants responsible. We also encourage residents to follow guidelines by HDB or Town Councils on proper placement of objects in open spaces. Any cases of potential killer litter will be referred to the police for investigation.
Managing Littering Hotspots
11 The number of feedback on ground littering from 2022 to 2023 has increased about 15% compared to the two years before the pandemic. To tackle littering hotspots, we will adopt a more targeted approach.
12 NEA will increase the frequency and scale of anti-littering enforcement blitzes, targeting hotspots that have higher offence rates and public feedback reports. This year, we plan to conduct around five times as many blitzes compared to 2023. These blitzes will be more visible by deploying uniformed officers to patrol these hotspots and putting up standees on the number of enforcement actions taken. We will also deploy non-uniformed officers to catch litterbugs.
13 Recalcitrant littering offenders will carry out CWO at high footfall areas like transport nodes, town centres and city locations. An average of around 500 CWOs are issued to offenders each year. They wear pink and yellow vests that clearly state ‘Corrective Work Order’ while picking up litter.
14 Furthermore, we will quadruple the deployment of CCTVs at hotspots, which include HDB estates. This will improve NEA’s remote surveillance capabilities, facilitate efficient deployment of resources by enabling investigations into public hygiene offences, as well as deter would-be offenders.
15 However, even if someone is caught on camera, we are unable to follow up with enforcement action if we cannot identify the person. NEA will work with community stakeholders to identify these offenders. If there are still no leads, NEA will explore putting up images of these offenders at the places where they had littered to seek the wider community’s assistance in identifying them.
16 We hope that this will invoke collective community ownership to keep the common spaces clean, and also deter potential litterbugs.
Tackling Unhygienic Public Toilets
17 Public toilets remain a bugbear of many Singaporeans. We have stepped up our enforcement efforts on unhygienic public toilets, including at food establishments. Since April 2020, first time offenders who fail to keep public toilets in their premises clean and in good working condition, are fined up to $400 instead of getting a warning letter. Implicated retail food businesses would also incur demerit points, and some have resulted in the suspension of licences.
18 Enforcement can only go so far so I agree with Ms Poh Li San and Ms Rahayu that users and the community need to be involved as well. We will continue to collaborate closely with our partners from the people and private sectors to address the problem of dirty public toilets holistically.
19 We will form a Public Toilets Taskforce to study and recommend solutions to improve the cleanliness of public toilets. Mr Andrew Khng, Chairman of the Public Hygiene Council (PHC) and I will co-chair this taskforce.
20 The taskforce will tap on the expertise of public sector agencies, town councils, premises managers, academia and trade and industry associations. The taskforce will one, examine measures for adoption of good public toilet designs; two, promote responsible use of public toilets; three, advocate responsibility amongst premises owners for toilet cleanliness and maintenance; and four, strengthen community partnership to promote cleanliness. The focus will be on toilets that consistently fare poorly in cleanliness surveys, such as those at coffeeshops and hawker centres.
Leveraging Technology
21 We will incorporate new technology to improve the efficiency of our cleaning and vector control operations.
22 First, we will trial the use of thermal imaging cameras for rat surveillance. NEA will share relevant footage and data with premises operators so that they can conduct targeted interventions to eliminate potential rat nesting grounds.
23 Second, we will explore the use of artificial intelligence-powered video analytics to supplement performance audits of contracted cleaning companies. This will be more productive than manual inspections in detecting cleaning lapses.
Rallying the Community
24 Many Singaporeans we engaged during the Forward SG conversations agreed that we cannot just rely on cleaners and cleaning technology to keep Singapore clean. Hence, MSE will further strengthen our partnerships with the community.
25 The PHC will launch the latest edition of the “Keep Singapore Clean” campaign next month to galvanise Singaporeans to do our part to uphold higher standards of hygiene and cleanliness. Last year, the PHC organised a workshop with residents and other community partners to brainstorm anti-littering interventions. As a follow-up, to realise one of the ideas, the PHC partnered with Nanyang Polytechnic to develop a Smart Bin prototype, which was subsequently tested within the neighbourhood and now will be scaled up.
26 NEA is also working together with residents from 21 private estates, such as Jalan Wajek in Bukit Timah, in an interesting initiative. Residents park their vehicles on just one side of the road on specified days to facilitate mechanical road sweepers cleaning the other side of the road. This achieved 50 to 80% of time savings compared to manual labour. NEA would like to double the number of private estates involved in this initiative. We look forward to more of such support from residents as we transition to using cleaning technology.
Strengthening Public Health Defences
27 To reduce public exposure to second-hand smoke, we currently prohibit smoking at more than 49,000 premises. Last month, NEA adjusted the Orchard Road No-Smoking Zone (ORNSZ) to include additional areas where smokers congregate. To Mr Louis Ng’s question, NEA will continue to monitor the situation and consult relevant stakeholders, before considering extension of non-smoking areas.
28 To Mr Gan’s query, indeed, smoking is prohibited at all covered areas including buildings and retail food establishments, smokers may congregate in adjacent spaces, where smoking is not prohibited. Stakeholders interested in setting up Designated Smoking Points (DSP) can refer to guidelines on NEA’s website, and seek NEA’s advice if needed. These should be at least 5m away from the premises boundary, and direct smokers away from the general public. The proliferation of DSPs needs to be carefully considered and balanced against the risk of inadvertently normalising smoking.
29 Mr Ng also asked about second-hand smoke within homes. In addition to working with other government agencies and the community to issue joint advisories, we will continue to encourage smokers to practise greater social responsibility and facilitate conversations between neighbours. Based on NEA’s data from 2018 to 2022, about 95% of feedback providers did not give further feedback on smoking in homes within a year after advisories were issued. We remain open to innovative and practical solutions to reduce public exposure to second-hand smoke.
Well, go ahead and institute ‘caning’, thinking that will change the mess we’re in.
But if you keep putting the cart before the horse, everyone on this board will be in danger of being caned for ‘wrong think’.
You’re the one who isn’t using your head and common sense.
I’m done with you.
“I’m done with you.”
That is so hurtful! Just when we were having some fun!
The record speaks for itself.
And Singapore is not calling for reparations from the U.K. for past colonialism.
Says a friend of Singapore law enforcement . . .
"Hand surgery"
Because, the bad guys use machette's in order to lop off your hand - when you wear a watch or jewels.
The bad guys race by on a bike, and "just like that," you are off to the surgeon.
You are ill informed. No point in debating someone who knows nothing about the subject of which he/she has an ill informed opinion.
“No, no DEI! Strictly a merit based society. It’s an EI culture - there you have to Earn It (EI).”
BTTT
Well, I guess you think it would be all fine and good, as long as you and your values were in charge.
I wonder what you’d say when the governmental wind shifted.
Good grief! What brought that on? Did I disrespect you? Nope.
All I’m saying is, if you’d re-read my post, that it’s all-pervasive, perpetual government overreach, the way Singapore’s strictures and enforcement codes come down.
I much prefer community standards and our Bill of Rights for the individual. If from that you deduce that I’d prefer hawking up loogies and blowing snot-rockets onto the sidewalks, some reading comprehension remediation might be in order.
I assume you live here in the US. If you do, you know that ship has sailed years ago.
What was it that That Ben Franklin said?
Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
Oh how I wish we had even a little of the liberty and safety we once had. We gave up liberty by electing Democrats and allowing in millions of illegals. And with the loss of our liberties, we lost our safety.
Good analysis.
I don’t know much about Confucianism, but what I saw there was a very “common sense” society and the vast majority appear to behave with that common sense voluntarily - I didn’t see any heavy handed repression. Seems like there’s a strong sense of the Golden Rule.
Of course, I was there only 4 days, so it’s a very superficial look. I’d like to go back again and explore the “underbelly” to the extent that there is one. I’m sure it’s not all peaches and cream.
You seem to be familiar with the place. What is its “underbelly”? What issues and problems people complain about?
I don’t mind playing this kind of game, when there is actual ‘intelligence’ involved.
But my services are too high-rent for a game this stupid.
Good Night!
You compared Singapore to North Korea. Your actual intelligence is low rent.
But, like most things. Its a mirage. There is no freedom of speech, no right of assemble, no freedom of the press, private land property is limited, you can't blame other religions nor talk bad about them, no gun rights, etc etc. Its a gop/libertarian paradise in many ways. The companies import brains and import cheap foreign labor to handle the hard work.
The kids are certainly world beaters up to college, then they fade away to the rat race that Singapore is. The culture there produces conformity, docility, and submission, the rebels get beaten down. They will never produce a Donald Trump or persons who standout in the world. For all the discomfort and hate in America, we happen to raise kids who go out and create interesting things and ideas.
I’m curious... While you were living there did you feel repressed? Did you feel like you were walking on eggshells and had to watch every move and everything you said or wrote?
Did you feel like all you got was state propaganda? Could you discuss whatever you wanted with your friends without feeling like someone was eavesdropping?
LOVED Japan in 2008. My best friend and her husband are there now.
There is an old joke. We will never be able to go to the sun. No problem, just go at night.
You can go to Singapore at night.
Best wishes
Arigato.
In a way, it's as if Rudy Giuliani's vision for New York has come to full fruition in Singapore. Malaysian, Indonesian, Filipino, and Indian migrant workers - who a lot of the fines (and canings) are actually aimed it - are kept on a tight leash that is not really going to be felt by Western tourists, who are highly unlikely to engage in the kind of behaviors that would trigger these punishments.
"Nice, normal people" do very well in Singapore, and find it safe, clean, and enjoyable - and not in any way visibly oppressive.
Is its system of rigorous math and science education the best for fostering innovation and entrepreneurship? Hard to say. We often try to compare Singapore to the USA but a lot of our innovators came up in the 70's and 80's under a very different culture than we have today. Today's young American innovators tend to copy and modify apps and think they have saved the world. But Singaporeans are now good at that, too.
Is its political system the best for thoughtful Virginia planters with deep classical educations and a desire to bring the blessings of liberty to the world? Probably not. If someone decides to start a new opposition political party promoting libertarian ideals in Singapore they are going to have a very rough time.
BTW, my wife is Singaporean and very much a believer in government smashing down miscreants who disturb the social order. I have had to patiently explain to her why it is a bad idea to give governments unlimited power to do so - after seeing the Biden Administration in action she is starting to get it. :)
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