When you ask an average person what comes to his or her mind when you say Singapore, expect to hear answers that would be synonymous to the word ‘clean’. Doesn’t it always work that way? Singapore is a rather fine country; they even have a shirt printed as such (see the picture above) and I have to say that it works both ways.
When you say clean, it really is spotless. At almost every hour of the day, you are to find someone who is clad in a neat uniform of a striking red hue; and that would indicate that s/he is cleaning whatever spot they may have missed – if there’s even a forgotten spot in the first place.
Imagine an orderly city, where there are rows of trees aligned as if it was an ornament for the holidays. Nearly every 5 meters or so, there are trash bins that are neatly painted either green or black, properly labeled if what’s to be thrown in is biodegradable or otherwise. Amazingly, it is hard to smell the slightest hint of smoke emitted from cars even if you were right next to the road! Talk about being environmentally friendly. Shopping malls in Orchard Road are right next to the road, but still inhaling in deeply and you get nothing but something close to a piney fresh scent. That familiar cloud of black or grey becomes a thing of the past even if you’re actually just next to a bus that’s waiting for passengers to load or unload.
Now as shocking as it may seem, even the clean city that is Singapore actually has slum areas, and for a tourist, that would be somewhat of a depressing sight. It doesn’t have the infamous black sea that is similar to Pasig River, but somewhere near the east side of the country, it’s as if you are seeing the transition of coming from such a peaceful country life to a bleak and more industrial city life, where the establishments have been painted by urban decay. It’s like paint from certain buildings are slowly being stripped from the smooth edges of the structure, the preserved beauty slowly being taken away and scraped like nails on a chalk board. You’ll start to miss the vast space of Orchard Road since in the east side, people are crammed up with each other they go about with their hustle-bustles for the day, jammed together in narrow walkways like sardines in a can. You’ll also start to wonder where the conveniently-placed trash bins are since you find yourself walking in sticky, putrid water; and what lo, you’ll discover that it’s not even water but someone else’s chuck-up.
Singaporeans are truly disciplined citizens and I can actually attest to this. One false move or one missed toll fee, and the police will be on your tail in a mere two seconds. They won’t even let you off if you display rude notions on the road. That would include honking your horn more than twice, showing a passive or unruly disposition at the police or even missing out on a few cents at the tolls. That’s how by-the-book they are.
Singapore is a developing country, much more developed than our own, despite us being more populated and living in a bigger country. Yet I find it disappointing that they still have a side a like this. However, it makes you look at them in awe because such a small country – smaller than our own – has become so modernized after all these years. Now imagine if the Philippines was like that. Think of what our lives would be if our people were more disciplined, if even in Manila you could inhale such a crisp scent of the trees, if you were enabled to walk the streets with no fear wherever you may be...wouldn’t that make us such a fine country, too?
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