Debate erupts over suggestion of family involvement in Corrective Work Orders

SINGAPORE: Chairman of the Public Hygiene Council, Andrew Khng, is proposing a novel idea that has sparked widespread discussion among netizens.

He suggested that offenders serving Corrective Work Orders (CWO) should do so alongside their families.

The efficacy of CWOs, often assigned to repeat littering offenders, has come under scrutiny by experts.

While offenders are mandated to clean public areas for a minimum of three hours, wearing conspicuous vests, doubts persist regarding its deterrent effect.

Talking to CNA, Dr Serene Koh, director of The Behavioural Insights Team, emphasized that the certainty of being caught holds more sway as a deterrent than the severity of the penalty itself.

Despite the element of shame associated with CWO due to their visibility, Dr Koh pointed out that the lack of recognition undermines its effectiveness in instilling shame.

“For something to be shameful, people need to recognise you, and you need to be identifiable. But if people are doing a one-off CWO on Orchard Road, nobody sees them. They’re wearing a cap and a mask, then how is it shameful?” she asked.

Chairman Andrew Khng floated the idea of involving entire families in CWO, potentially enhancing the punishment’s impact, particularly for those with children.

“The whole family (should) do it. Then, the pain is not necessarily (for) the one person, but is the whole family going together, even with your maid,” he said.

In the case of those with children, the impact will be greater, he said.

To augment surveillance against littering, authorities are planning to quadruple closed-circuit television deployments, increasing from 250 to 1,000 yearly.

Additionally, the National Environment Agency intends to intensify cleanliness operations, aiming to conduct over 100 blitzes at “cleanliness hotspots” compared to 21 the previous year.

Beyond littering, Singapore is also addressing concerns about public toilet cleanliness.

A newly formed Public Toilets Taskforce will focus on improving hygiene standards, particularly in coffee shops and hawker centers.

This initiative responds to longstanding grievances about the dismal state of public toilets, highlighted in recent surveys conducted by the Waterloo study.

Ms Rosie Ching, principal lecturer of Statistics at the Singapore Management University, underscored the persisting challenges in maintaining clean public toilets, attributing part of the problem to outdated infrastructure.

She advocated for hygiene ratings akin to food stalls to incentivize better upkeep.

Dr Koh emphasized the societal reliance on a substantial cleaning workforce, prompting reflection on Singapore’s cleanliness standards.

She warned against taking cleaners for granted, envisioning a stark contrast in Singapore’s cleanliness if their services were absent for even a day, urging greater appreciation for their contributions.