M'sian impressed by S'pore fine for littered cigarette butt, wants it implemented in M'sia too

That's something you don't hear every day.

Fasiha Nazren | March 22, 2018, 04:57 PM

Singapore is known for being a fine city (fine as in saman). We even have a T-shirt for it:

via Carousell

Fined for littering

Whether it is something Singaporeans should be proud of is rather subjective, admittedly. One Malaysian, however, thinks the practice of being fined for tossing cigarette butts irresponsibly in public should be implemented in his homeland:

The Malaysian Twitter user who goes by @_amyary tweeted the following (translated into English below), together with a picture of a fine ticket:

"In Singapore, you can be fined S$300 (RM900) for littering a cigarette butt. Over here (in Malaysia), people smoke even in family restaurants where there are young children and they will give all sorts of excuses to defend themselves. I suggest for the Malaysian government to abolish the GST and have this regulation as part of the Environment Quality Act (EQA)."

via @_amyary

Based on the identification number, the fine appears to have been issued to a foreign worker in Singapore.

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Malaysians react

While it is unclear whether or not the fine was actually issued to the Twitter user (because why would anyone praise the government after getting a fine, right?), other Malaysians weren't afraid to voice their opinions in response to his suggestion.

Some were supportive:

"Waiting for this to be implemented in Malaysia.."

"Please implement it in Malaysia soon, I can't wait to see my friends being penalised."

While others thought it was too idealistic:

"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 turns out, Malaysia does fine irresponsible smokers, but the results aren't as desirable.

"We actually already have this rule. My relative tailed an enforcement officer (to observe his behaviour) but when he actually fined these people, they got mad and gave excuses, claiming the government was just 'finding ways to take citizens' money' and 'nobody else got fined'."

"The enforcement officers in Singapore work round the clock. Those aren't even plainclothes officers. We have all these rules, but no enforcement officers at all."

But one person managed to provide a humorous solution:

"Go to their office and say sorry, I am a foreigner because my country always throw anyhow. Can give me a discount?"

Tobacco control in Malaysia

In Malaysia, tobacco control is regulated under the Food Act, not the EQA.

Generally speaking, smoking is prohibited in public areas in Malaysia such as the hospital, shopping malls and air-conditioned eateries.

In Feb. 2017, public and national parks in Malaysia have been gazetted as no-smoking zones, in line with the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of which Malaysia has been a signatory since 2005.

Any person caught smoking in a prohibited area can be fined up to RM10,000 (about S$3,360) or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.

Top image screenshot via @_amyary