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By David Ee
The Straits Times
Wednesday, Jan 16, 2013
Cleaners will not be working in Nee Soon South on May 1 - Labour Day - in a bid by the ward's MP to make residents take greater responsibility in keeping their neighbourhood clean.
MP for Nee Soon GRC Lee Bee Wah said yesterday the move also aims to make residents appreciate better how heavily Singapore depends on cleaners.
The aftermath of a day without cleaners - however unsightly it may be - would hopefully, she said, start to change people's mindsets towards cleanliness and the environment.
Singapore has some 70,000 cleaners, of whom at least 30 per cent are foreigners.
"We would like to see - without any cleaners - what state Nee Soon South will be in," she said. "I think it will be interesting to see what happens the following day."
Garbage collection will go on as usual but contractors will be told not to send cleaners that day. Nee Soon South residents will take to the streets the next day to tidy up.
"We want those participating in picking the litter to see Nee Soon South from the viewpoint of the cleaners," she said.
It is all part of her vision to turn Nee Soon South "into a mini-Japan" in standards of cleanliness.
Since last October, she has been taking steps to educate residents by holding monthly litter-picking walks, creating an anti-littering pledge and planning to have Nee Soon South litterbugs perform Corrective Work Orders in their own backyard.
She pointed out how Japanese neighbourhoods stay clean without the need for many cleaners. "If they cannot find a bin, they bring the litter home," she said. "It is the mindset. People do not litter."
Mr Liak Teng Lit, head of the Keep Singapore Clean Movement, supports Ms Lee's tough stand.
He added that the entire country should consider following her lead. "Most of us are just not aware of how bad things get when there are no cleaners around.
"Only when you are aware will you start taking action."
Cleanliness - and Singapore's reliance on foreign workers to stay clean - has got people talking.
Last November, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged Singaporeans to play their part in keeping the country clean.
In an interview the same month, Mr Liak called the nation "a cleaned city, not a clean city".
Pop concerts held subsequently saw partygoers leave arenas strewn with rubbish.
Change will not come easy, Ms Lee admitted, but said residents have been mostly supportive of her plan, which she has so far publicised through her Facebook page.
Nee Soon South has some 52,000 residents.
"It's a good idea but it takes time to change mindsets. People here take the cleaners for granted," said Mr Darren Kwok, 29, a recruitment consultant.
Software engineer Karanam Balakrishna, 30, said people expect the Government to take care of cleaning. "But we should keep our city clean, just as we keep our houses clean."
The Straits Times
Wednesday, Jan 16, 2013
Cleaners will not be working in Nee Soon South on May 1 - Labour Day - in a bid by the ward's MP to make residents take greater responsibility in keeping their neighbourhood clean.
MP for Nee Soon GRC Lee Bee Wah said yesterday the move also aims to make residents appreciate better how heavily Singapore depends on cleaners.
The aftermath of a day without cleaners - however unsightly it may be - would hopefully, she said, start to change people's mindsets towards cleanliness and the environment.
Singapore has some 70,000 cleaners, of whom at least 30 per cent are foreigners.
"We would like to see - without any cleaners - what state Nee Soon South will be in," she said. "I think it will be interesting to see what happens the following day."
Garbage collection will go on as usual but contractors will be told not to send cleaners that day. Nee Soon South residents will take to the streets the next day to tidy up.
"We want those participating in picking the litter to see Nee Soon South from the viewpoint of the cleaners," she said.
It is all part of her vision to turn Nee Soon South "into a mini-Japan" in standards of cleanliness.
Since last October, she has been taking steps to educate residents by holding monthly litter-picking walks, creating an anti-littering pledge and planning to have Nee Soon South litterbugs perform Corrective Work Orders in their own backyard.
She pointed out how Japanese neighbourhoods stay clean without the need for many cleaners. "If they cannot find a bin, they bring the litter home," she said. "It is the mindset. People do not litter."
Mr Liak Teng Lit, head of the Keep Singapore Clean Movement, supports Ms Lee's tough stand.
He added that the entire country should consider following her lead. "Most of us are just not aware of how bad things get when there are no cleaners around.
"Only when you are aware will you start taking action."
Cleanliness - and Singapore's reliance on foreign workers to stay clean - has got people talking.
Last November, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged Singaporeans to play their part in keeping the country clean.
In an interview the same month, Mr Liak called the nation "a cleaned city, not a clean city".
Pop concerts held subsequently saw partygoers leave arenas strewn with rubbish.
Change will not come easy, Ms Lee admitted, but said residents have been mostly supportive of her plan, which she has so far publicised through her Facebook page.
Nee Soon South has some 52,000 residents.
"It's a good idea but it takes time to change mindsets. People here take the cleaners for granted," said Mr Darren Kwok, 29, a recruitment consultant.
Software engineer Karanam Balakrishna, 30, said people expect the Government to take care of cleaning. "But we should keep our city clean, just as we keep our houses clean."
