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"THE National Solidarity Party (NSP) said the Government could do more to liberalise the political landscape by expanding the platform for greater public participation in politics and parliamentary elections. The NSP was commenting on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

I returned to Singapore from an overseas trip recently, realising that our public transport system still lacked that little something - courtesy. Although the Public Transport Council and Singapore Kindness Movement have launched countless campaigns, the message still fails to get across to most of us. While our trains may be slightly more efficient in terms of trip frequencies and arrival timings (assuming no track faults or other issues), there is a culture in the trains over there that many of us can learn from. The 'reserved' seat/seats on the trains there are so sacred, the non-needy do not place their bums on them at all, not even when the train is packed full like sardines during peak hours. More impressively, these seats were left vacant for the needy even on trips that may take twice the journey time from Pasir Ris to Joo Koon. Even on public buses there, 'reserved' seats were barely taken by the non-prioritised. On the other hand, the 'reserved' seat/seats on our trains here are seldom left untouched. And even when the more needy appear, there are bound to be some qualms about giving up the seat. Is it really our culture? Do we lack discipline? Or do people just don't care? Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Singa the Lion resigned in May 2013, and it also leaves me wondering if it is really possible to take the meaning of 'reserved' to the next level.

Would most Singaporeans every be that civilised? While I am in Taipei, I am always impressed by 1) how people automatically gives up their seats whenever someone in need needs a seat. Not just one or two that gave up their seats. Usually its a few and the person would have choices. 2) "Care seats" always not occupied..no matter how crowded the train is. 3) People automatically move aside for those alighting 4) On escalators, people move one side to make way for others in a hurry On one occasion, I saw some youths leaving behind some cups in a garden and all those that saw stared at them in disapproval. I guess, for Singapore, no matter how hard they try to improve the train and public transport systems, as long as the passengers remains inconsiderate, their journey would not be a pleasant one no matter how fast it is. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ST Forum HOME > ST FORUM > ONLINE STORY Mar 22, 2011 It's cool how Taiwanese reserve 'hot' seats ON A trip to Taiwan a few years ago, I noticed that in the trains there, even when all the seats were occupied, there were always a few seats in a different colour which were never occupied. I was told it was for the elderly or the needy. I asked my friend since there were so many reserved seats and no elderly folk around, why didn't commuters just take a seat first and give it up when required. The reply was that they would rather let the needy have a "cool" seat instead of a "hot" seat. Contrast that to Singapore society, where often people don't even give up the priority seats to those who need it more. In one of the popular streets in Taiwan, I wanted to throw my empty bottle away but there was no rubbish bin in sight for a long distance. I asked my friend how people disposed of their rubbish when there were no bins, and I was told they would just hold on to it until they got home. In Singapore, we have bins everywhere and yet when we come across bins that are full to the brim, we do not walk a little further away to another bin to dispose of our rubbish. Instead we complain that agencies and cleaners are not doing their job. Perhaps, we should bring back some courtesy campaigns to remind people to be gracious and make our society a better one. Gui Teck Kiang