Letter to MCDS

This is the email i sent to Singapore's Ministry of Community, Development and Sports (MCDS), in response to their call for ideas for the new lap of governance. Very biased i'd say, but that's just me. heheh. Quite similar to the one i sent to NParks earlier this year (see next posting!!!) when they shockingly advertised for enviros people... at least gives folks like me hope of possible future employment.

So here goes...

"Nurturing a citizen-wide awareness and involvement in regional environmental development, as well as world affairs"

I wish for a national vision, not just at the government level but down to the citizens, of our environment. It is my belief that most Singaporeans are aware of the concept of environmental degradation, that Singapore had inevitably lost much of our natural heritage since her modern founding in 1819, and that much more of that degradation is occurring at the regional level. However, the knowledge had not been translated into action, since few Singaporeans believe it’s their responsibility to improve the state of our regional environment, and the sporadic trips to help repair and build villages in the poorer countries are seen on the publicity front as short-term “adventures” to build up leadership in our youth, rather than long-term efforts to really contribute towards maintenance of cross-community, cross-country relations and living standards, especially in the eyes of the sent youths. Have they experienced the cultural significance of these communities and the daily issues they face? Or did they simply went away with sympathy and felt they’ve made a mark in the impoverished communities’ lives, but seen things only from a Singaporean point of view? Have they understood the root cause behind the circumstances of their lifestyle, and the connection with their environment?

There was a saying I used to hear a long time ago when monetary penalties were introduced to curb littering – that Singaporeans were careful not to be shamefully caught for throwing rubbish where they don’t belong, but felt free from that duty of care once they cross the causeway. The same murmurings arose again when CWD (Corrective Work Order) was introduced. These penalties were imposed and fronted more as a deterrent, in the methodology of the old government - make people follow the rules by imposition of punishment for non-compliance. It should be clear by now that a civic society will naturally and ethically follow the rules to a certain extent if there is an understanding of wrongdoing, and knowing why. Shackling regulations will only breed rebellion.

Using Australia as an example, there is a great sense of environmental awareness among its citizens. This does not come by having the people living under fear of punishment for causing environmental damage. Having said this, there are still a minority who had low regard for the environment. However, most Australians do care about their environment, and know it’s not right to litter, that recycling as much as possible is the way to reduce wastage, and that it comes as natural for them to appreciate, conserve and protect cultural and natural heritage as it exist in the Australian landscape. Every household have a recycling bin as well as the usual trash bin, and in any way they could strive to be environmentally friendly they will try to achieve, although vehicular usage levels is still an issue found wanting. How have they been able to cultivate that sense of environmental awareness?

It’s understandable that in the highly built-up landscape of Singapore, there are great difficulties in having the youth understand and appreciate the natural environment as existed outside our national parks and beyond our borders, or the dynamic changes in our landscape since our grandparents’ time. Our forebears had the opportunity, but environmental awareness had not figured much compare with Singapore’s national development then. The time is long overdue to increase that awareness among the citizens, and the best is to start with our youths.

Given the current study load of our scholars, it will be impractical to introduce an environmental course into the curriculum. The increased amount of time youths spend watching television compared to 2 decades back is a well-know fact, and which should be taken as an advantage. It can be argued that documentaries are shown ad nauseam on the Discovery Channel, but not everyone has access to cable television. Also, not many of these programs are geared towards ecological and environmental issues, which tend to win less favour with governmental bodies and some corporations, internationally. I believe there should be an increase of provocative current issues programs regularly show on mainstream channels, to increase the current world-view of the community, as well as to pose to them issues as seen from others’ point of view, as it happen in other parts of the world - bring to them the sense of connectivity to the lives and events of people and communities beyond our borders. I suggest a good look at some of the current issues programs from Australia such as ABC’s Four Corners and SBS’s Dateline, to provide some idea of the issues that Singaporeans can ponder about. Personally, I regularly visit the english version of the Arabic news station Al Jazeera’s website, to catch up on the happenings in the Arabic world. Being far away in Australia and having family and friends in Singapore, I place huge emphasis in the terrorism threat that is potentially faced by my homeland, and to a greater extent my loved ones. I’ll want to know and understand the mindset of the people in the Arabic world, however biased, know how it may affect my folks back home. Similarly, much of the current issues programs in Australia can be said to be biased in varying degrees, but that’s how it provoke thoughts and invites opinions among the audience, and at the same time, generate the sense of connectivity and awareness to issues that do not usually figure in their minds as they go about their daily lives. Other methods used in Australia are showing short-segments documentaries of the importance of maintaining a clean, natural, less energy-demanding environment, such as how energy usage can contribute to climatic change, and how litter and runoff from suburbs can flow into the Brisbane River and impact on the Moreton Bay marine ecosystem.

Another avenue on the government’s part is to have the Ministry of Environment produce State of Environment Reports similar (although understandably with some differences in themes and depth) to the 4-yearly reports in Australia, and independently by each of her states, such as Queensland, as available in these websites:

http://www.deh.gov.au/soe/index.html (Australia)

http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/environmental_management/state_of_the_environment/ (Queensland)

which upon publication should be made publicly know and actively promoted to be read, reviewed and elicit comments from the general public.

On the educational front, schools can be encouraged to use articles on environmental topics as an aid in their teaching especially at the junior college level, such as an option to science students to research and writing critical reviews on conservation and ecology issues with resources from journals such as Conservation Biology, Oryx, and many others. At the secondary level, the subject of geography have the greatest potential in introducing issues of environmental sciences as it teach and discuss topics with geological, social, economical, environmental, and to a much lesser extent ecological aspects.

Given that there are already some Singaporeans who understand some of the environmental issues currently facing the region (Asia is at present the fastest-developing economy in the World, but with the shortest time to learn from the environmental implications of the bullet-train paced development), there will be some who will wish to contribute more than just thought and ideas to address these issues. A further suggestion is to set up and make publicly known (when the ideological climate is right) a long-term program in the vein of Australia’s AusAid program (http://www.ausaid.gov.au/), that supports and encourages youths to participate in developmental, environmental and conservational programs in developing countries.

It is my belief that Singapore, as a global citizen, should do its part in helping our neighbours, other global citizens, in the environmental field which is the easiest to degrade and destroy, but most difficult to restore and rehabilitate in a human lifetime, such that everyone, especially our future generations, will benefit or the least inherit, the World in the state that we currently live in. We should not simply offer advice or high-tech expertise (as I firmly believe not all environmental problems can be solved by the mavericks of technology cost-effectively, and without leaving some degree of permanent anthropogenic impacts), but to involve actively in participating and cooperating both at the community and governmental level to reduce potential environmental degradation, and to restore the salvageable natural heritage in the region back to good health, with the attitude not of a “superior” neighbour, but of a kindly friend. That, and without asking anything more in return than clean air, lush forests, healthy waters and seas, living together in harmony with cultural diversity, biodiversity and fully functional ecosystems, with the aim of achieving sustainable development in everyone’s economies. That is my nationalistic ideal for the future of Singapore, and on a broader worldview, regional ideal. That is my vision.


Do not let others, and most importantly yourself, shoot down your own dreams, until it is seen beyond any forseeable doubt, on your deathbed, that the dream is never meant to be made into reality. Then, close your eyes with a smile, for you know you’ll dream that dream forever.