In Your Opinion Podcast
The surprising reason Singaporeans complain but don’t correct bad public behaviour
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Relying on strict laws and fines might seem like the most effective way to enforce good behaviour, but consider whether this constant policing is actually preventing Singapore from building a genuinely gracious and high-trust society.
ST GRAPHICS: HADYU RAHIM
Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore’s social issues of the day with guests.
Singapore seems to be introducing more laws to police everyday behaviour - from tray returns to using mobile phones while driving. But can legislation really make people more gracious, or does it simply expose a deeper trust deficit in society? And when should citizens confront bad behaviour themselves instead of reporting it to the authorities?
Opinion Editor Lin Suling speaks with sociologist Dr Tan Ern Ser, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, about whether Singapore is becoming a nation that relies too heavily on rules, complaints and punishment — and what it would take to build a genuinely high-trust, “We First” society.
Highlights (click/tap above):
3:35 Why does seemingly ordinary, considerate behaviour disappear once people get behind the wheel?
5:40 Does criminalising phone use while driving mean public education has failed?
12:25 Have we outsourced everyday conflict resolution to the state instead of correcting bad behaviour ourselves?
13:55 Is Singapore’s complaint culture undermining trust and creating online vigilantism?
16:46 When is reporting someone the right thing to do? When should it be the last resort?
19:52 Thirty years after the Singapore Kindness Movement, have we become kinder or simply better at enforcing rules?
21:28 How can Singapore encourage people to speak up against antisocial behaviour without leaving them to stand alone?
23:11 Can Singapore realistically become a ‘We First’ society? What would a genuinely high-trust society look like?
Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH
Follow Lin Suling on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/hiLQ
Host: Lin Suling (linsuling@sph.com.sg)
Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim
Executive producers: Danson Cheong and Lynda Hong
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