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ST FORUM (4/6/09)
Phua Chu Kang not the best role model for courtesy on MRT
THE article on Tuesday, 'Volunteers spread courtesy message', indicates how people feel about MRT commuters who rush into trains without waiting for others to alight first. Indeed, these volunteers are to be lauded for coming forward to ensure that commuters are more polite to others.
While enlisting the help of volunteers to spread the courtesy message is a good move, I am uncomfortable with the recent advertisements and posters on trains and station platforms that feature TV character Phua Chu Kang and his wife.
First, I feel it is ironic that Phua Chu Kang should educate us to be more 'civilised' and polite towards other commuters, as he is seen as someone who is 'kiasu' and rude.
(the point is this - even a kiasu & rude Ah Beng knows how to give way to alighting passengers, what more YOU ?)
In fact, the short clip featuring him that is played at MRT stations can be quite annoying. You can hardly figure out the lyrics he is singing; all you can discern is mumbling and noise from the speakers.
(yeah, lyrics not clear ... defeats the purpose ...)
Even if you can understand what he is singing about, what strikes you is his distinctive Singlish. While this may appeal to Singaporeans, it presents a negative image of Singapore to tourists and foreigners. It not only shows we are a society that needs to be educated on proper etiquette on the MRT, but it also gives the impression that we cannot speak proper English.
(message seems to be - those who can't speak proper english are the culprits, which is not exactly untrue ..........) :p
Second, I am not sure how effective this ad campaign is. Most people who rush into trains are older folk. [oy, we had a hard life, now u still tell us 'this cannot do, that cannot do, knn ...
] Some are English illiterate and are unable to understand the posters, which are all in English. I am not suggesting the posters be in the four official languages, [four ? now its eight official languages - english, mandarin, malay, tamil, hindi/urdu (which is heard more frequently than tamil), tagalog, burmese, and korean] ... but rather, more volunteers and MRT staff should be deployed on station platforms to urge commuters to give way to those alighting from trains. In fact, announcements in the four (no, eight)official languages can be used to spread the same message.
Muhammad Saiful
Phua Chu Kang not the best role model for courtesy on MRT
THE article on Tuesday, 'Volunteers spread courtesy message', indicates how people feel about MRT commuters who rush into trains without waiting for others to alight first. Indeed, these volunteers are to be lauded for coming forward to ensure that commuters are more polite to others.
While enlisting the help of volunteers to spread the courtesy message is a good move, I am uncomfortable with the recent advertisements and posters on trains and station platforms that feature TV character Phua Chu Kang and his wife.
First, I feel it is ironic that Phua Chu Kang should educate us to be more 'civilised' and polite towards other commuters, as he is seen as someone who is 'kiasu' and rude.
(the point is this - even a kiasu & rude Ah Beng knows how to give way to alighting passengers, what more YOU ?)
In fact, the short clip featuring him that is played at MRT stations can be quite annoying. You can hardly figure out the lyrics he is singing; all you can discern is mumbling and noise from the speakers.
(yeah, lyrics not clear ... defeats the purpose ...)
Even if you can understand what he is singing about, what strikes you is his distinctive Singlish. While this may appeal to Singaporeans, it presents a negative image of Singapore to tourists and foreigners. It not only shows we are a society that needs to be educated on proper etiquette on the MRT, but it also gives the impression that we cannot speak proper English.
(message seems to be - those who can't speak proper english are the culprits, which is not exactly untrue ..........) :p
Second, I am not sure how effective this ad campaign is. Most people who rush into trains are older folk. [oy, we had a hard life, now u still tell us 'this cannot do, that cannot do, knn ...
] Some are English illiterate and are unable to understand the posters, which are all in English. I am not suggesting the posters be in the four official languages, [four ? now its eight official languages - english, mandarin, malay, tamil, hindi/urdu (which is heard more frequently than tamil), tagalog, burmese, and korean] ... but rather, more volunteers and MRT staff should be deployed on station platforms to urge commuters to give way to those alighting from trains. In fact, announcements in the four (no, eight)official languages can be used to spread the same message. Muhammad Saiful
