Uniquely Singapore. Oh, why is life in Singapore like that?

WHY is jaywalking a crime when cyclists can ride with impunity on footpaths and endanger pedestrians? Why are dog owners not fined for littering when they allow their dogs to defecate everywhere, without cleaning up the mess?

Why am I not allowed to keep a cat in my HDB flat when I can't walk 20m in my HDB estate without stepping around dog poo, left on the footpath or grass or void deck by an ungracious dog owner?

Why are smokers given such a hard time when motor vehicles and jet airliners spew more voluminous quantities of carcinogens and chemicals into the air around us, every day?

Why is it one can be fined or given a Corrective Works Order for discarding a cigarette butt when others who burn mounds of paper on the road or footpath get away without censure?

Why am I required to wear a seat belt in my own car when our public buses do not even have one fitted for the driver?

Why do passengers in my car have to belt-up when passengers on public buses and those seated on planks in the back of pick-ups or lorries are not required to do so?

Why am I still required to pay for a TV licence when MediaCorp's stations are fully commercial and they should be able to fund any Public Broadcast Service programmes with government support?

Why are employers still rejecting and retrenching people over 40 years of age when the birth rate is so low that the number of young people joining the workforce is insufficient to replace the older employees?

Why is it that this letter will probably not be printed when there is now a greater call for open and free dialogue?

Why do I care? Because I am uniquely Singaporean!

Alice Francis (Ms) from The Straits Times Interactive, March 22, 2005