Gum full of problems?

one of the headlines on BBC, Independent, CNN this week, or rather, one of the headlines they chose to banter and tease about e.g. in the latest BBC4's The News Quiz, is none other than the bizarre new introduction of chewing gum in Singapore where people are only allowed to purchase chewing gums on a doc's prescription and provide their ID details.....

while many years ago, people still think tiny island Singapore belonged to China, today, i get people telling me deliriously with much pride that they've heard about Singapore, "Oh yes, it's the country that banned chewing gum! Unbelievable!" ... yes... this and the death-penalty, canning, the numerous fines, and the ultra-super high-tech connectivity which potentially tracks your mobility around the wee island that make the country from which i come known for all her unorthodox democracy, her unique identity.

chewing gum was banned in 1992 because of the mess it indirectly created and one incredibly sticky incident in which the underground tube?s doors were inconsiderately jammed for an inconvenient period, trapping hundreds of passengers that day. for a quick solution, the ban was implemented almost authoritatively without any real ?education? intended, like many other laws with which i have been acquainted. for over 12 years, people chewed their gums during visits to neighbouring countries or foreign lands. i myself enjoyed the occasional chew whilst being in Europe for the last 9 years. for me, chewing gum is a great thing to have whilst camping?.it?s good for your teeth, as well as a wonderful way to refresh one?s breath and it can be a substitute for glue in times of desperation. but likewise, it is annoying to step onto, sit on, or to clean up. it is precisely the realisation of these latter inconveniences that stops me and other civic minded people from littering these sticky things about rather than because, "oh! I shouldn?t do that because I?ll get fined if I am caught! And you just don?t know if you are being watched!"

now, don?t get me wrong. i appreciate the apparent immaculate cleanliness of my birth-country. i just do not fully appreciate or agree with the philosophy from which the some laws appear to stem. sure, the proponents can say the results are stunning. and sure i find myself getting annoyed when i see litter on the beautiful greens here in the neighbourhood because i, deprived of all these greenery on the Asian island, think that people do not realise what treasures they have here! but i?d say other countries like Switzerland boast an equally clean environment without such drastic measures and this makes me question about the need for laws, fines, or bans?. perhaps there is something really lacking in certain societies...

what constantly baffles me is why it almost appears as though Singaporeans always need to be ?governed? by laws and are apparently incapable of reasoning and open discussions. i hate to think that we are such 'dumb' citizens... or are the law-implementations part of mass-schadenfreude-education with little learning opportunities? what also flummoxes me is that this ban is being massaged to appeal to the American economy and free trade pact.

but regardless of my own worthless opinions and the rhetoric questions i posed, i wonder how well this new legislation will fair. like my own sentiments and as the comments in the above news links suggest, this could be a far cry. and ironically, perhaps, the restricted sale of these ?therapeutic? gums could lead to the re-emergence of potential sticky situations from which smokers, road-sweepers and cleaners will not find real therapy, nor will it fully satisfy the gum industry.

posted by ~overacuppa~ on Saturday, 29 May, 2004 at 15:53 hrs