<pic credit: remembersingapore.wordpress.com>
In 1979 the Ministry of Culture launched a National Courtesy Campaign. The objective was to encourage Singaporeans to adopt a courteous lifestyle and be more considerate to one another and to create a pleasant social environment irrespective of age, religion and race.
I remember people wearing the "smile" tag pin and courtesy stickers being pasted on cars, offices, buildings and malls. LKY played a role in the campaign conducted by STB. I personally would say that the campaign worked well and was effective because we could see smiles wherever we go and the "kiasu" Singaporean attitude was diminishing.
But reading postings on people urinating and sleeping naked in HDB void decks, riots in "Little India", unpleasant encounters with people in shopping malls, rude taxi and bus drivers and more, I guess all the campaign efforts and cost had gone to the drain. Singapore had revert back to it's Kiasu era and maybe worse.
Now, why are our Singapore culture getting worse these days?
Jogen Ishak Ahmad
TRS reader