This Twitter User Wants Singapore's Fine For Littered Cigarette Butts Implemented In M'sia
"Over here (in Malaysia), you see people smoking even in family restaurants where there are young children."
By John Lim — 23 Mar 2018, 01:56 PM
Singapore is a country known for many things. There's the Merlion, Marina Bay Sands, and... samans.
Creative Singaporeans even made some "fine" merchandises to go along with it.
It's also a running joke that we have been indulging for decades, admittedly. One Twitter user, however, thinks the practice of being fined for tossing cigarettes irresponsibly in public should be strongly enforced in Malaysia.
@_amyray recently tweeted a photo of a fine ticket issued in Singapore with the following caption, translated into English:
"In Singapore, you can be fined SGD300 (RM900) for littering a cigarette butt. Over here (in Malaysia), you see people smoking even in family restaurants where there are young children and they will give all sorts of reasons to defend themselves. I suggest for the government to abolish GST and have this as part of the Environment Quality Act (EQA)."
The tweet has gone viral, garnering over 5,000 retweets at the time of writing. Comments have started pouring in from netizens as well.
Some thought it was too idealistic.
"People will complain that the government is collecting money because it has a lot of debts."
"You don’t have to act as if you want this to be implemented as part of the EQA. You’ll see that once this act is confirmed, many will accuse the government of being harsh. You will see."
And one netizen pointed out that Malaysia does fine irresponsible smokers although the results have been unsatisfactory
"We have this rule. My relative followed an enforcement officer but when he actually fined these people, they became angry and gave excuses, claiming that the government was just 'finding ways to take the people's money' and 'nobody else got fined'."
In Malaysia, tobacco control is regulated under the Food Act 1983 while public littering falls under Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974
Last year, the government made amendments to the Food Act 1983, which restricts smokers from lighting up at public parks and campsites.
Under the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974, those caught littering in public spaces can be fined up to RM500 for their offence and a maximum of RM1,00 for subsequent offences.