Yours Toothfully by Dr Chan Joon Yee

SMRT has always been sparing no effort in promoting gracious behaviour. Let others get out before you get in. Give up your seat to someone who needs it more (so we don’t have to provide more seats). Move away from the doors (we don’t care if you’re alighting soon, just let us pack as many people as we can).

And to get their message across this time, they’ve employed Gurmit Singh, the funny man who tickled local viewers from Channel 5 to Channel 8 with iconic characters like Phua Chu Kang. And if we look at the comments on YouTube, we realise that many people enjoyed this educational video.

“Don’t pray pray, let me out first”.

Huh? A foreigner may ask what on earth that means. Sure, Phua Chu Kang is funny and meaningful in front of a local audience. What about foreigners? Well, I saw an ang moh lady carrying a backpack dancing to the beat, but that’s not really the point. This is not part of the Arts Festival. There is a serious message behind Phua Chu Kang’s performance. If that message doesn’t get across, money would have been wasted.

This video has been played many times over in the MRT stations since it was first launched. Has it or will it ever make MRT users more gracious and considerate? To answer that question, we must first look at the people who need to be educated most.

The other day, as I was trying to get into the train at Dhoby Ghaut, a woman who was entering the train and talking loudly into her mobile phone suddenly made a U-turn at the door and walked out, pushing against the flow of boarding passengers. She was trying to catch a glimpse of the number of the station (NE6) to inform the person she was talking to.

Phu Chu Kang didn’t tell us not to do that. In fact, he didn’t even sing/rap in a language that this woman can understand. I think before we even try to produce a video that serves any educational purpose, we must first find out the language spoken by the majority of those who don’t behave in a considerate manner.

Do we have the appropriate talent for an effective educational video that targets the rapidly growing segment of our population that needs to be educated on considerate behaviour? You bet.

So what’s new? Oils prices are up, stock prices are making people cry. With Malaysia gradually reducing its oil subsidy and barring foreign registered cars from buying petrol within 50km from its border with Singapore and Thailand, visiting Malaysia for bargains may no longer be such an attractive option, not forgetting the possibility of public protests over there getting violent.

We certainly won’t see any public protests in Singapore. We didn’t even see any official reaction. Duty on fuel will not be reduced. Our Finance Ministry tells us that this is meant to encourage us to use public transport. Fares may get higher, the privileged companies operating our public transport may get richer, but it’s still cheaper than owning a car.

What about the 3/4 tank rule? No change also. Why? Again to discourage the excessive use of cars. But can there be such a thing as excessive use of public transport? Looking at the way our MRT trains squeeze the juice out of passengers during peak hours, the dentist who made that suggestion is probably not mad. Even before all passengers have alighted, they go “doors are closing toot toot toot …” Forget about boarding. That’s what happens when you indirectly “encourage” people to use public transport by directly squeezing them for driving their own cars and taking taxis. You’re just moving the crowds from one sardine can to another sardine can.

I may do a lot of less than normal things, but I do know that normal people who don’t like the 3/4 tank rule before entering JB would be absolutely delighted with a 3/4 train or bus rule on our public transport. Impose a 3/4 bus/train rule on the privileged companies. They can be less privileged for all we common folks care. Any train or bus found more than 3/4 full with passengers will have to award a free ride to their suffering passengers. Not some $10,000 fine payable to LTA. Fare refund to the direct and immediate benefit of passengers. How’s that for encouraging people to use public transport without imposing indecent taxes?