Attitude towards rubbish

Dear Editor,

THE plastic bag and bottle, and the creation of other such packaging waste, is the curse of the 21st century worldwide.

From my five years recently spent as a resident of Singapore, it is clear that the root of the problem is not actually the rubbish it is the attitude of the community towards that rubbish.

In Singapore, there are five million people generating waste at a rate significantly higher than here in Brunei. But, Singapore has a global reputation for its cleanliness.

Yes, making litter is a punishable crime, but one which requires little police enforcement why? Because, all Singaporeans take individual and personal responsibility for disposing of their rubbish carefully; they simply do not "just dump it!"

Moreover, they take patient care of their urban, and what remains of their, rural environment.

They regard it as an "asset", which like any financial asset, must be carefully managed and cared for, if it is to realise its value.

They are also aware that Singapore is so short of space that the place would soon become uninhabitable if, what space there is, was filled with rotten, stinking, noxious rubbish!

I was constantly amazed that after a BBQ in a park or on the beach all litter was collected by the participants and taken away it was often hard to see that anyone has been there at all!

This is the opposite of what I saw at the Berakas BBQ sites.

It seems that Bruneians do not have such a strong sense of national or even local "kampong" pride.

As a visitor, this surprises me as so much is made in the media as well as in public statements elsewhere about the love of, and pride in, the "Abode of Peace" and "our beloved Country".

First impressions seem to show that these fine and noble words are not supported by the mundane and routine actions of at least some sections of the community.

The direction the evidence the recent press articles and my personal experiences, is pointing us towards is that rather than "personal responsibility", the prevailing attitude towards caring for Brunei's natural environmental riches seems to be "it is someone else's problem" or "it's OK, somebody else will look after it".

I am worried that Brunei is in danger of falling into the "swamp of good intentions" when it is believed that "somebody" will do "something" at "some time"; and what actually happens is nobody does anything at any time, and all is lost!

Mark N Grieves
Perumahan Kampung Rimba