SINGAPORE - Singaporeans must be personally involved in keeping the country clean, and this spirit of civic consciousness has to become a social norm here.
Minister for Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli said this was necessary if Singapore were to progress from being a cleaned city to one that is simply clean.
"This involvement must come from the heart, from belief, it must come from culture," said Mr Masagos, adding that this can simply involve residents cleaning up their HDB corridors instead of waiting for cleaners .
He was speaking at a SGfuture discussion, held by the Ministry for Environment and Water Resources (MEWR). The series of public engagement sessions which centre around the theme "A Cleaner, Greener and Smarter Home" was launched in November last year and will run till the middle of this year.
Two discussions were held on Saturday, attended by about 40 participants each.
"We've become a cleaned city instead of a clean city," said Public Hygiene Council chairman Edward D'Silva.
He pointed out that problems like clogged drains and rat infestations had its root in the simple act of littering. "Litter is the cause of a lot of the downstream problems that we have," he said.