The Keep Singapore Clean Campaign was one of the first nationwide public education programmes mounted by the government. Launched by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 1 October 1968, the month-long campaign aimed to make Singapore the cleanest and greenest city in the region by addressing the problem of inconsiderate littering. The campaign reached out to every strata of society, from employers, housewives to children. It sought to instill in Singaporeans the importance of keeping public places clean. The campaign was part of a larger public cleansing plan which included changes in public health laws, relocation and licensing of itinerant hawkers, development of proper sewage systems, and disease control. The government believed that improved environmental conditions not only enhance the quality of life for Singaporeans and cultivate national pride, it also attracts foreign investors and tourists to Singapore.
National Campaign Committee
A national campaign committee, headed by then Health Minister Chua Sian Chin, was formed to run the campaign. The committee comprised representatives from various government and statutory departments such as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior and Defence, Ministry of Culture, the police, vigilante corps, Public Works Department, Housing and Development Board, the Jurong Town Corporation, as well as non-government organisations like the chambers of commerce, employers' and trade union organisations.
Campaign Promotion and Activities
During the period of the campaign, some 350,000 posters in the four official languages, as well as banners, were displayed in public places such as shops, restaurants, offices, factories, community centres, bus shelters and public notice boards. Mini posters, stick-up strips, leaflets, pamplets, and car-bumper stickers were also distributed. Postal items and cinema tickets also bore stamps with the campaign slogan. In addition to the distribution of collaterals, various public education and awareness activities were also organised. These included talks and lectures by health officials, inspections and spot checks by government officials, house visits, rallies, exhibitions and estate cleaning exercises by grassroots leaders. Competitions for the cleanest offices, shops, restaurants, markets, factories, government buildings, schools and public vehicles were also conducted. The results of both the cleanest and dirtiest premises were announced and highlighted. The use of social pressure extended to the mass media. Film clips and photographs of dirty premises or people caught in the act of littering were publicised over the press and television. The police, Special Constabulary and the Public Health Inspectorate also went on patrol to advise members of the public against littering. No tickets were issued during this grace period. To ensure that good habits are cultivated from a young age, children were a special target group of the campaign. In addition to poster design and essay competitions, health officers, inspectors of schools and principals also gave talks to students. Teachers were roped in to remind students against littering.
Cleanliness Campaigns Through the Years
Following the success of the inaugural Keep Singapore Clean Campaign, the programme continued yearly until 1990 when it merged with the Garden City Campaign to form the Clean and Green Week. In 2007, the week-long campaign was developed to a sustained effort to go clean and green all year long. This programme is known as Clean and Green Singapore.
Selected Campaign Slogans Through the Years
1969: Keep Singapore Clean and Mosquito Free
1970: Keep Singapore Clean and Pollution Free
1971: Keep Singapore Pollution Free
1973: Keep Our Water Clean
1988: Singapore is Our Home - Let's Keep It Clean and Beautiful
1990: Clean and Green Week...Green for Life
Author
Joshua Chia Yeong Jia
References
27 years of anti-littering effort. (1995, July 9). The Straits Times. Retrieved November 22, 2007, from Factiva database.
(1968, October 1). 'Keep S'pore Clean' campaign opens: The public must co-operate [Microfilm: NL 5608]. The Straits Times, p.10.
Long, S. (2003, May 25). Welcome to campaign country. The Straits Times. Retrieved February 28, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Majidhasnita, H. A. (2007, October 27). Going green all year long; Week-long campaign morphs into bigger, sustained effort. Today. Retrieved February 28, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Ministry of Environment. (1973). Towards a clean and healthy environment. Singapore: Ministry of the Environment.
(Call no.: RSING 614.7 SIN)
Ministry of Environment. (1997). Singapore - my clean & green home. Singapore: Ministry of the Environment.
(Call no.: RSING 354.3095957 MIN)
National Archives of Singapore. (n.d.) Speech by the Prime Minister inaugurating the "Keep Singapore Clean" campaign on Tuesday, 1st October, 1968. Retrieved on August 17, 2006 from http://stars.nhb.gov.sg.
Sum, J. (1990). Diary of a nation (Part 3). [Television broadcast]. Singapore: Singapore Broadcasting Corporation.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 DIA)
Teo, G. (2003, May 11). Dirty pockets still exist. The Straits Times. Retrieved February 28, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
The information in this article is valid as at 2007 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
