Gum Ban a violation of human rights ?
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Chewren of Singapore are really deprived.
http://www.thinkcentre.org/article.cfm?ArticleID=2389
Policy Watch
Much Ado About Nothing, S'pore eases chewing gum ban
(Sg_Review and AP)
28 May 2004
When an entire nation state celebrates the "liberalisation" of such basic rights, it is a sad reflection of the sorry state of human rights in Singapore. Singapore street cleaners are already complaining about finding wads of gum on the pavements.
Ultra-tidy Singapore is lifting its notorious ban on chewing gum after 12 long years -- but only for registered users.
Gum dealers face jail if they break the rules.
Before Singaporeans think about unwrapping a pack of the Wrigley's Orbit gum that's just started selling here -- and only in pharmacies -- they have to submit their names and ID card numbers.
If they don't, pharmacists who sell them gum could be jailed up to two years and fined S$5,000 ($2,940).
This Southeast Asian city-state, known for its immaculate streets and tight social controls, outlawed the manufacture, import and sale of chewing gum in 1992 after the country's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, complained that it was fouling streets, buildings, buses and subway trains.
Lee, 80, stepped down as prime minister in 1990 but still wields considerable influence under the title "senior minister."
Gum became a sticking point months ago in Singapore's free trade talks with Washington, when Representative Philip Crane of the U.S. state of Illinois -- home of chewing gum giant Wrigley -- pressed the issue.
Singapore compromised, agreeing to allow only the sale of "therapeutic" gum in pharmacies. The free trade pact took effect on January 1.
The Health Sciences Authority, responding to questions from The Associated Press, said it had allowed the sale of 19 "medicinal" and "dental" gum products.
Wrigleys' Orbit, which the company claims is good for teeth, hit pharmacy shelves just days ago.
Pfizer's Nicorette, a nicotine gum meant to help smokers kick their addiction, has been available since March.
Nicorette costs $S19 ($11) for a pack of 30 pieces. A pack of Orbit goes for S$1.60 ($0.94).
Singaporeans, many of whom have long derided the chewing gum ban, seemed unimpressed by the change.
"It's ridiculous that it's easier for 16-year-olds to visit prostitutes than it is to get chewing gum here," said 22-year old college student Fayen Wong.
Prostitution is legal in parts of Singapore -- and no registration is required.
"Why would I go through the trouble of getting nicotine gum if I can buy a pack of cigarettes without giving my name?" said Wong. "I don't think the new rules will help smokers to quit."
Change of image
The Straits Times newspaper, which has close government ties, said on Sunday that street cleaners have already been complaining about the return of spent wads of chewing gum to their once pristine pavements.
Singapore has been at pains in recent years to shed its "nanny state" image and promote itself as a hip, cosmopolitan hub for media and the arts in Asia.
But this has proven a difficult task in a country where films and television shows are often censored, home satellite TV antennae are banned and various books, magazines and even popular songs are outlawed.
Fines are levied for spitting or failing to flush public toilets.
Critics of restrictions have often cited the chewing gum ban as an example of the government's excesses.
But the partial legalization of gum is "really a non-event," said Koh Beng Liang, 25, a research engineer who said he hasn't yet bothered having a legal chew.
"Singaporeans will quickly realize it if the so-called loosening up is for foreign image, and not real change," Koh said. -
hippo really pity those cleaners who have to clear those gums on the floor
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how does chewing gum taste like ? never eat before.
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Can live with it. Hate the old days when I use to step on chewing gum. Anyway, I still bring chewing gums into Singapore sometimes for personal consumption. Never got caught though. What's the penalty if I get caught?
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nothing.. just made to destroy it..Originally posted by Qitai:Can live with it. Hate the old days when I use to step on chewing gum. Anyway, I still bring chewing gums into Singapore sometimes for personal consumption. Never got caught though. What's the penalty if I get caught?
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Got penalty ah.... customs at changi airport found a stick on me a couple of months again..said I could be smuggling and they could fine me up to $500.00...saw stars for a while in the customs office..luckily they oni gave me warning that time...dun dare bring in more.
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Originally posted by care bear:
Got penalty ah.... customs at changi airport found a stick on me a couple of months again..said I could be smuggling and they could fine me [b]up to $500.00...saw stars for a while in the customs office..luckily they oni gave me warning that time...dun dare bring in more.[/b]
500??? for a stick of gum? isn't that stupid? -
Singapore chewren must fight for their rights. Lets go demostrate outside Istana next chewren day.
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If chewing gum is really a nuisance at public places or MRT stations or trains, let's try to introduce appropriate controls at such places. Sometimes, simple housekeeping will solve problems. Why ban chewing gum entirely?
If certain behaviour is bad or a threat to public order or harmful to society as a whole, let's try education and impose control on those who are really responsible with proofs and evidences to solve problems.
So it will be like using a sledge hammer to kill the fly by making all HDB dwellers guilty or presumed to be guilty of negligence in maintaining windows just because of some instances of poorly installed windows. There are too many causes for windows' poor maintenance or conditions. So why generalise or seek some scapegoats to punish? Isn't forebearance sometimes better governance. We can let the ordinary common law proofs take it course when it comes to negligence instead of doctoring the negligence rule.
To impose all kinds of rules and conditions continuously from the past era to today is not creative or entrepreneurial. To liberalize, HDB and LTA have plenty to learn how solve problems in their context instead of resorting to general sweeping rules and regulations or giving unresponsive replies to public suggestions on improving safety etc.
Government departments should not opt out of responsibility of management by making people or general public responsible as witnessed by increasing instance of Management Corporations taking over responsibilities for certain wrongs when the management corporations have no power to contain such problems including impositions of proxy responsibility on them when relevant departments have been set up or civil servants paid in the first place to solve them more creatively, e.g. onerous fire regulations etc.
Such tendency may arise from the same sweeping rules and regulations due to assumptions and top-down approach.
All the social and cultural restrictions will get tighter unless someone higher up knows about this tendency to opt out of duties and responsibilities to proxies. Good governance should be aimed at education and good management to solve problems at the root or making those clearly responsible for harmful acts instead of more and more prohibitions of all kinds as seen in the chewing gum and such-like rules and regulations.
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u are caught, we will be visiting u soon, hahahahaha. confiscate and warning i think...Originally posted by Qitai:Can live with it. Hate the old days when I use to step on chewing gum. Anyway, I still bring chewing gums into Singapore sometimes for personal consumption. Never got caught though. What's the penalty if I get caught? -
Wat happen to the confiscated gum ? The custom officers chew themsleves ?Originally posted by chunyong:u are caught, we will be visiting u soon, hahahahaha. confiscate and warning i think... -
They ship it back to Oz for me to chew.Originally posted by paperchicken:Wat happen to the confiscated gum ? The custom officers chew themsleves ? 
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then stick on walls of hell ?Originally posted by ditzy:They ship it back to Oz for me to chew. 
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well, u will know soon when we get to u which is in a few mins time, hahahahahaaOriginally posted by paperchicken:Wat happen to the confiscated gum ? The custom officers chew themsleves ? -
Hee hee, you need to try your luck. Stock not always there, depend on mood one. Sometimes can buy continously, sometime 1 year never buy. If cannot find anything, I sue you until dry dryOriginally posted by chunyong:u are caught, we will be visiting u soon, hahahahaha. confiscate and warning i think...
. Anyway, don't think you can get search warrant for chewing gum. 
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u know got Primary and Secondary motives one ? the bubblegum thing can piggyback onto something more 'righteous' hahahahahaOriginally posted by Qitai:Hee hee, you need to try your luck. Stock not always there, depend on mood one. Sometimes can buy continously, sometime 1 year never buy. If cannot find anything, I sue you until dry dry . Anyway, don't think you can get search warrant for chewing gum. -
Try loh. See what you can find in my house loh. Just be ready to be sue by meOriginally posted by chunyong:u know got Primary and Secondary motives one ? the bubblegum thing can piggyback onto something more 'righteous' hahahahaha sue you until dry dry -
mai an nee lah...."gei wo yi ge ji hui, wo xiang zhuo ge hao ren"Originally posted by Qitai:Try loh. See what you can find in my house loh. Just be ready to be sue by me sue you until dry dry -
"Hao Ren Nan Zhuo" ......sigh..........Originally posted by chunyong:mai an nee lah...."gei wo yi ge ji hui, wo xiang zhuo ge hao ren"
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I want to chew gum.
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They should just ban chewing gum and keep it that way.
Some Singaporeans don't really have that much of a thing called social responsibility in their mind. -
go pharmacy buy loh...Originally posted by paperchicken:I want to chew gum.
EH ?! u still online ah....just a few more mins, we coming we coming...wait for us ! -
tat type of gum not for chewrenOriginally posted by chunyong:go pharmacy buy loh...
EH ?! u still online ah....just a few more mins, we coming we coming...wait for us !
why they still not here ? Lost their way is it ?
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aiyah, buy Hi-Chew sweets loh, similar to bubblegum.Originally posted by paperchicken:tat type of gum not for chewren
why they still not here ? Lost their way is it ?
not lost way, is proper planning mah...haha, i go do my stuff liao, dun crap anymore