Since the announcement of the distribution of Funpacks in light of the National Day Parade (NDP) 2020, many Singaporeans voiced up to oppose the idea of distributing Funpacks.
In fact, an NUS student, Kaushik Ilango, created an online petition for Singaporeans and PRs to opt-out from receiving the NDP2020 Funpack on Change.org.
Last night (25 May), the Straits Times reported that the NDP2020 Executive Committee is exploring the option of allowing people to opt-out from receiving the Funpack.
This piece of news was delivered by Member of Parliament (MP) of Nee Soon GRC Louis Ng Kok Kwang on his Facebook on Sunday (24 May).
In his post, Mr Ng said that the Funpack this year will be slightly different than the ones from previous years.
In regards to people’s concern on the environmental issues the Funpack would bring, he revealed that this year’s Funpack is comparatively “greener”, and that plastic bag, single-use plastic bottle, and discount booklet have been omitted. He added that clapper, scarf, and sun visor will not be included as well.
Other than the people who declared that they do not want to receive the NDP Funpack this year, Mr Ng understood that there are still some people who wish to get it. Thus, he believed that the Government should give everyone a choice to opt-out in the effort to reduce wastage.
“Can we just have no funpacks? We should explore this but I know some people want the funpacks and some don’t.”
“For a start, I believe we should give everyone a choice. Those who want it can get it and those who don’t want it can opt-out. This will help reduce wastage. “
Noting that the Committee is “working hard in very difficult and challenging circumstances”, he revealed to the Straits Times that other suggestions are also being considered. However, he refused to disclose the information as the discussion is still ongoing.
Mr Ng’s Facebook post came after the online petition that surfaced on the internet on 20 May. At the time of writing, the petition has gained more than 83,500 signatures in support of the opt-out from receiving the NDP2020 Funpack.
In a separate Facebook post, he shared a Reach survey, asking Singaporeans and PRs if they want to receive an NDP Funpack this year. The poll was closed at noon yesterday, although it was unclear when the poll was created.
