I support the practice of self-clearing of cutlery by diners but for the government to legislate and fine those who don’t self-clear after the initial leniency period is too me, over the top. It is an abuse of their power and bullying of our meek, unthinking and well- conditioned citizens. I would have no issue if they choose to embark on public education and appeal to the public to co-operate but to resort to fine people so expeditiously, that cannot be acceptable. Let me explain.
When paid contractors are not providing satisfactory services either because they cut corners on manpower, unable to find workers because of the low salary that they offer or simply because of their low productivity etc, then the government should hold them accountable accordingly and not take it out on diners. After all, the prices that diners pay to hawkers for their food alearly include the clearing and cleaning fees that hawkers pay those cleaning contractors....
Simon Lim posted this in TRE arguing that this is a matter of principle when small matters are being criminalised by the govt. Littering and chewing gums are crimes as they dirty the streets and of course became a very expensive social habit. In the case of clearing your plates after eating, when the clearing and cleaning of tables are part and parcel of the service provided by the hawkers, should this become a crime?
Simon Lim has an important point to make. The govt must not be allowed to make everything a crime, like pofma, as and when it likes it. Stretching the clearing of plates and cleaning of tables after eating, incidentally, leaving the table messy and dirty is also a crime. Next time they could make it a law to bring your own bowls and plates, if not it is a also crime. The possibilities is endless. Bring your own basket or bags when shopping in the supermarket or else it is a crime? Where would all these end?
Is this a democracy or a totalitarian state? Or is it that after a while the daft citizens would get use to it, like paying millions to politicians, to do what? What is so difficult or important when many are plainly administrative jobs, unproductive, that hiring an admin manager at a tenth of the price would also get the job done, and done very well or be fired?
What do you think? The direction we are heading is getting hazy and creepy.
Clear plates ? Why leh? Do u have a Badge? No badge why ask me clear plates? Me already paid u clear leh ? Why clear for u leh?...next moment the Teh Gu issue summon. ..few weeks later in court the judge ask why no clear plates? Reply me paid u already why clear leh? Why no badge ? Anyone can be an officer leh?..someone me got special rites & was ex-Naive Officer, can u drop all charges?...meantime still case ongoing...such will be the every affair in the court by with small matters in a not so distant future..its a Fine Country. Whether got badge or no badge, the one can catch a rat is a good cat.
ReplyDeleteThis act of legislation to penalise with monetary rewards to fill the government's coffers shows four very disburbing and worrying trends.
ReplyDelete1. Immaturity. Only kids would have thought of such childish measures.
2. Sadism. For the government to reward itself with monetary gains as a result of citizens predicaments is not only a sadistic and shameful act but also despicable and atrocious, to say the least.
3. Day-light Robbery. Getting money from the public to benefit itself at others expense without having to do anything is like day-light robbery by thugs holding a gun at our heads to demand for money from us at the slightest excuse.
4. Desperado. The government is quick to seize this new measure to to inculcate cleanliness as an opportunity to make money shows that the government is desperate for funds. It tells us that probably our National Reserves must have been depleted so badly until it is empty.
Can some lawyers advise? - is it a crime of racism in Singapore just to point out that a particular person in a particular position of authority is that of a minority race?
ReplyDeleteWe don't know if it's safe to open our mouths to point out an open fact.
Next they will legislate to ban farting in public. No wonder some people had been warning that the pandemic is a time for Governments to tighten the noose around citizen's neck. Human rights is a bullshit call.
ReplyDeleteBeware of what else is in the works and it won't be good. Just like saving the earth. You can be sure that many funny rules will come out with regard to clamping down on plastic use, all directed at the consumers, nothing against big businesses that are too big to touch or with vested interest tied to GLCs.
This move to fine people is very sickening and despicable. It turns an ordinary simple harmless act into a crime. This is unthinkable!
ReplyDeleteIt will not speak well of the 4G leaders. Going forward, the 4G leaders will lose a lot of support from the voters.
Singapore has already been transformed into the "Animal Farm" as written by George Orwell.
Now, it is turning into a full fledged Police State as depicted in the book 1984 by George Orwell.
It's time for us to prepare to live our life without PAP. This political party is too hot for comfort and too good to be true.
With more than 2,000,000 strangers from the Third World countries stirring shits here after robbing away our lucrative top and middle levels jobs, it is already very bad enough.
Now, with the PAP government turning itself into day-light roobers, it's time to switch the ruling political party.
A new broom will sweep Singapore clean without having to resort to Dracula Bloodsucking Tactics.
Think: After this sickening and despicable act, what else will it do next?
The billions of sovereign reserves were used to bail out the corporations, but very little spent on the unemployed and retirees. Next they will raise the GST to make the unemployed and retirees help replenish the reserves.
ReplyDeleteSounds right Queen of Hearts. After spending S$100 billion on the pandemic, it is payback time. You can bet that increases in many areas are forthcoming, although to be honest it is already happening, with significant higher prices if one does marketing and easting out. It is not a matter of a few cents, but 15 to 20% up. In fact everything is much more expensive compared to pre-pandemic days.
ReplyDeleteBut, strangely no one is complaining or fluttering an eyelid over here, besides me. Most must be filthy rich with very deep pockets, besides me too.
Do the maths.. the government can roster so many jlbs to walk around? Better if they roster these to serve as stall holders n cleaners..what has the NEA been doing all these years ???
ReplyDeleteThe NEA is under the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, helmed by Grace Fu.
ReplyDeleteWho is suppose to clean the tables after the trays are returned? Maybe another legislation that customers must carry a piece of towel to wipe the tables after eating.
ReplyDeleteEating out was not that unpalatable in the olden days. If this is progress, I rest my case.
Yes! Sg is a FINE city!
ReplyDeleteThere's an extra 1.8 million foreigners to feed since 2004, so of course there'll be more leftover mess on the dirtied table after eating.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1980s to around 1990s, enforcement actions (fined by land cows) were taken against stallholders at hawker centres who failed to promptly clear soiled bowls, plates, glasses, foodwastes, etc on dining tables. After many years, this became a failure, then they came out with a new measure, i.e. to make hawkers use disposal utensil/crockery. But this also failed, the soiled crockery/utensils left on tables were blown away to the floor by natural wind and ceiling fans.
ReplyDeleteAfter the above failures, the Papayas make all hawkers engaged/paid the table cleaning contractors to cleaning and clearing of utensils on tables. This also did not work well, and then they campaigned for the diners' help (tolong, tolong) to clear the tables. Again and again, this short campaign did not last long, and the Papayas gave up hope. Finally, 2021 comes 1 Sep, the Papayas hit the nails on the diners' heads. They said enough is enough, we have to use fines ($$$$) cos' I think they believed diners are so rich eating at hawkers centres, they therefore could afford to pay fines ! You see, after donkey years,(despite the Papayas being paid millions $$$$ for their so-called "talent") could not or fail even to solve simple problems, but found an easy way out to empty the diners' pockets to solve "their own problems". I mean it is not the diners' problems at all !
They think school prefects are national leaders and deserved to be paid in the millions.
ReplyDeleteWhat a joke.
The pioneers built a nation and got paid a pittance. Now they are paying millions to destroy what the pioneers have built.
You got fine when you liter on the floor and not in the disposal bin. Is it logical if you got fine to put the crockery in the disposal bin instead of the tray station? It is logical to bring the crockery home and return to the tray station later, instead of paying for tabaoing? Very, very complicated to justify million dollar man to solve.
ReplyDeleteWhat if you accidentally drop the crockery on the floor and it broke. Or just 'kay puak toh'. Interesting situation. That will be how many fine? Littering, breaking, causing public nuisance and you probably have to clean up too.
ReplyDeleteI think this nail will also fail to seal the coffin. It will also fail because business is bound to be affected.
Yes, it is confirmed that the government is very desperate for money (cash). NEA just increased hawkers stall dental by 40%.
ReplyDeleteTemasek Holdings also increased shop rentals by 20% to 30%.
I think next will be car parking fees everywhere - HDB Car Parks, URA Car Parks, and along the roadside carparks.
Then water and electricity bills tax and water-borne and refuse removal taxes.
Then carbon emission taxes.
Then liquor, petrol, deisel and sweets and chocolate taxes to be increased by 10 to 20%.
Then, hey presto! Can increase Ministers' salary liao! Hooray!
will from 1st September onwards not eat at hawkers centres or food courts.
ReplyDeleteI will buy take-away or order food online. And once a week go and eat at a cheap restaurant.
Or, if need be, ask for takeaway and eat there, and then throw away the packaging into the dustbin. Its much easier this way.
I think the hawker stalls will have less business for sure.
Those 4G leaders are making decisions like school boys. Never think in depth.
The past failure of disposable plastic plates and bowls was the amount of waste plastic generated as compared to reusable washable crockery. That was the reason the use of plastic plates failed to take off and discontinued.
ReplyDeleteNow, time will tell whether takeaways will be in vogue and cause more plastic waste and if so, what they are going to do about it. During the lockdown it was also reported that much more plastic waste had been generated due to takeaways.
I think they never think deeper about the pros and cons. Just like the controversy over the use of mask, and the gloves issue during the last GE. Many things they did not think well enough, like the dock-less bicycles and the electric bikes now on their death knell.
Maybe, all set and done, the will say, bring your own plates or containers. This is getting ridiculous.
Next time homeless the whole body lie down there outside consider littering. Like that even more li hai right? KAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKA. Ti gu wanna take a not?
ReplyDeleteBicycle always got bicycle, brompton come ppl clap clap clap. Some food court got robot. Robot always got robot. Where the robot? Need to watch hong kong movie iGirl a not?
Tik tok got video say google interview, got 4 person, 2 black hat, 2 white hat, 1 wall. I am the NSF lah right? Got wall mah.
Calling tik tok khaby lame, ti ti tu ti ti, drool drool, drool drool, drool drool, hello, khaby wu te boh? Giam jit wu tak zi boh?
How come some ah tiong in ah tiong land use apple and drive toyota? That weird.