COURTESY is defined as “the showing of politeness in one’s attitude and behaviour towards others”, while civic consciousness refers to “a form of social consciousness co-existing with the concept of being a citizen”.
It’s easy and normal for any of us to witness any simple example of this on a daily, indeed, hourly basis, right here right now, even as you look around you if you happen to be reading this column in a public place.
I was happily driving along Jalan Rock one morning and had stopped at the traffic lights facing Wisma Saberkas going into that stretch of road leading to the Sarawak General Hospital. The driver of a small car in front of me had his side window down and with a flick of his right middle finger had thrown the butt of his cigarette onto the road. Sometimes it’s a piece of some used tissue paper or even a crumpled up plastic wrapper; I’ve even seen empty water bottles being thrown into a hedge or onto a road divider. Needless to say, motorcycle riders are guilty of doing such similar acts; as well as spitting and even blowing their noses right onto the road.
My pet peeve, which I have written about many times, has been the unceasing littering of the surrounding areas as well as the actual grounds of temporary makeshift day or night food and funfairs, including events and festive occasions held rather often in and around town.
The usual suspects are the waterfront area, Padang Merdeka, and the Jubilee Ground, as well as nightspots like the Civic Centre (on Friday and Saturday nights). All sorts of litter, rubbish, and careless parking, and illegal acts like smoking in places where food is served and taken are fairly common sights.
I do sincerely believe that these bad behaviours and habits have actually gotten worse in the last few years; I can positively remember that back in the day, in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as right up to the 1990s, our level of civic consciousness was a lot better in the sense that we didn’t see as much littering in public places and at events. Of course it has to be said too that there were fewer people then, and fewer occasions too for big crowds to gather to either witness a major event, or to take part in affairs like marathon runs, sale of works, food and funfairs, and periodical festivals in the form of regular events such as the Multicultural Mooncake Festival or the Sarawak Regatta.
It is my fervent belief that it all boils down to the three E’s – educate, enforce, and eradicate.
During the 1950s and 60s, when I was in school, we did not have any Civics lessons; but I understand that from 1970s till the 90s, there were such lessons taught in many school curriculums. Yet, we, the baby-boomers of our era, had been well educated by our teachers and through peer pressure and sheer good behaviour, had managed to inculcate within ourselves a greater sense of civic consciousness to treat all public property like our own, and to behave in such a way as to ensure that whatever we do outside our homes would reflect on our behaviour at home, and that we maintain an attitude that we must always look after other people’s interests as if it were our own.
Education is first and foremost when it comes to having a sense of belonging to society at large and to respect what is best for the whole community. It has to start at home initially before one even ventures out to playschool, then kindergarten, and to primary school. By age seven or eight, there must already be a strict regime built into every single citizen that whatever he does has to benefit not just himself but the community and the environment that he shares with others.
Selflessness has to be taught; not all will abide or be able to follow and obey all the guidelines that will be slowly drummed into their young minds.
This in my personal opinion is where our present education system has failed us. We have lost this capability and capacity to teach our young how to take better care of our communal interests, have greater respect for the environment, and, most of all, instil a kinder approach in relationships with our fellow men. It has now become a self-centred society with ‘I, Me, My’ being first and foremost. All others can take the stairs, I am going up by escalator, elevator – so long as I get there first.
The second E is enforcement.
As they always like to say, monkey see, monkey do. I see others doing it, so what’s wrong if I also do the same thing. Just don’t get caught. For the longest time, once anything is legislated or becomes law, it takes ages for it to come into effect, and once it is, there is very little or no enforcement at all.
Just take for instance the ‘No Smoking’ law in all eating places ruling – have you seen anyone been warned, fined, or even caught for this – even though you can walk into any popular food court anytime and see for yourself smokers happily lighting up within the areas where they’re not supposed to?
When too was the last time you have seen anyone throw a piece of tissue, a cigarette butt, or even a water bottle on the ground and get caught, fined, or collared?
Just take a drive along the Jalan Tun Openg stretch anytime of the day or night and you can also see dozens of cars parked along the ‘No Parking’ areas as well as on top of the footpaths, which only pedestrians are supposed to use. Again do you see any police summons on the windscreens?
The final E is to eradicate.
This can only happen if and when the first E – education – has been drummed into every citizen’s head since a young and formative age; and the second E – enforcement – has taught those who have been serial abusers of their lack of civic consciousness when they have been caught and fined.
Only then, when the environment that we live in, the roads and places we frequent and use have been eliminated of such bad habits, can we truly eradicate all this – the filth and eyesore of public littering and other bad behaviour in public places – and finally feel the blessing of having eradicated all this from our society and be proud of ourselves as a clean, safe, and law abiding community.
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