Eating on the MRT (subway trains) and be fined $30? I say, fine them $500 - the amount that is applied ever since I was a kid. Don't you fine it ironic that 30 years ago, it was $500 and today, when Singaporeans are more affluent, you fine them as measly $30? It would solve the problem immediately. Otherwise, it'll be like the case of the guy, who was fined $1,500 recently, retorting that it was JUST ONLY that amount, that he could afford it, that it was no big deal. And why just only the MRT? Just the other day, there was a whiff of ham and cheesey smell when I was on a bus travelling home. Lo and behold, the teenage girl sitting just in front of my seat was eating away, oblivious of the aroma. Well, ok, the food smelled good, but what of noses that are less appreciative of the smell of ham and cheese, or what if she was eating something more, err, exotic? And this isn't the first time. Slightly more than two years ago, I captured on my HP camera a picture of a teenager eating away on a subway train and blogged how I noticed more and more people eating away on MRT trains. Well, it about time SMRT did something about this anti-social behaviour.
Yes, Singaporeans have become more affluent, and with it has gone the social graces that we lament about nowadays. I don't know if it is due to the lifestyle - that we need to fill in every waking hour of the day doing something besides looking out the window of life passing by on a bus or a train. But there is a good reason why food and drinks are not allowed, just as it is forbidden in offices and some other places, except canteens and restaurants. Food left behind in these places, whether intentionally or unintentionally, attracts creepy crawly vermints that can destroy things, besides scaring some people, especially the fairer sex, out of their wits. I know because I have to prepare to carry my wife when such creatures appear.
There are certain things that were done better in the past than now. How about it - lets up the fine to $500. That'll not only stop the littering, but the bugs will also stop appearing. Ahhh....heaven on earth.
Friday, July 17, 2009
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4 comments :
Hi!
Yes, I remember about the $500 fine and surprised to learn that it has been reduced to $30 (Guess inflation is not taken into account).
For teens born with a silver spoon, $30 is an affordable amount.
I disagree with the attitude of a minority who treats a thousand dollars as insignificant (For the less fortunate families, even a few hundred dollars makes a lot of difference).
For such inconsiderate people, increasing the fine does not really hurt them. An alternative method is to 'advertise' their acts (photographs) in various blogs and newspapers and cause them to 'loose face'.
Cheers!
I suppose the conditions surrounding an offense require consideration - http://ow.ly/hzUD
I like the vision when our ex-PM Goh said that we should work towards a gracious society, I support him 100%. Being gracious is to be considerate and understanding. Slapping a fine of $500 for someone having a sweet to sooth her throat is going the complete opposite direction. It is a show of arrogance and encouragement of intolerance. You might as well suggest just chop her head off on the spot!
no lah.. chop head off is too much lah. 1 man less to pay taxes u know... i say, give them 6 strokes of the cane. elderly and young children use smaller cane. HAHA.
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