The following is a tongue-in-cheek (maybe) idea from Jack Sim, founder and director of the World Toilet Organisation, on how to “facilitate innovative suggestions and avoid any misunderstanding with the Government”. Jack Sim reportedly once said: “We need to make toilets and sanitation sexy.” http://www.irc.nl/page/37356
Each time a citizen wants to suggest a new way of improving any aspect of Singapore society, he runs the risk of being accused of:
1. Not appreciating the overall government good work since 1965.
2. Being ungrateful and always complaining.
3. The bureaucrats tend to use such accusations to turn the table on the complainant and make him feel like he is in the wrong to suggest improvements.
4. After all, this is the best run country in the world and there is no perfect government in the world.In order to facilitate innovative suggestion and avoid any misunderstanding with the government, I suggest you print Suggestions Pads with the first paragraph pre-printed as follows:
Dear …….,
I appreciate many things in Singapore; the low crime, the non-corrupt culture, the efficient government, and having freshly cooked meals for just $3.
In order to continue our tradition of excellence, I’d like to make the following proposal:
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About Jack Sim
From Wikipedia
After attaining financial independence at the age of 40, Jack decided to devote the rest of his life to social work. He established the Restroom Association of Singapore (RAS) in 1998 to break the taboo of toilet and sanitation and legitimize it for mainstream culture. In 2001, Jack created the World Toilet Organization (WTO) as a global network and service platform wherein the various toilet associations, academia, government, UN agencies and toilet stakeholders can learn from one another and leverage on media and corporate support to influence governments to promote sound sanitation and public health policies.
In 2004, he was awarded the inaugural Singapore Green Plan Award 2012 by Singapore‘s National Environment Agency for contribution to Environment.
In 2005, Jack founded the World Toilet College to provide high quality training in Toilet Design, Maintenance, Cleanliness and Ecological Sanitation Technologies. The college is a joint venture with Singapore Polytechnic.
Jack won the Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006, awarded by The Schwab Foundation For Social Entrepreneurship based in Switzerland.
In 2007, Jack became one of the key members to convene the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance comprised of about 50 organizations active in the field of sanitation. That same year, he also became the first Singaporean elected to be an Ashoka Global Fellow. Ashoka is the largest social entrepreneurship support group in the world.
In January 2008, Jack was appointed a Council Member to the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council for Water Security, a Council that advises WEF on water and sanitation Matters.
Jack is also a guest lecturer and mentor for social entrepreneurship at INSEAD Asia Campus and Nanyang Polytechnic in Singapore.
He is also a Global Fellow of Ashoka, the global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs. http://www.ashoka.org/jack
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