Jul 19 2009
Fine For Eating Sweet On MRT
I was shocked when I read the article on today’s Straits Times. A housewife was fined for eating a sweet on the train. There was no mention of littering like throwing the wrapper on the floor, and neither was she muching on messy items like a burger. For god’s sake, its just a sweet ain’t it? How much damage can it have?
According to the report, the 48-year old housewife was feeling giddy from the train ride, and hence decided to pop in a sweet to make herself feel better. The enforcement officer didn’t take in her excuse, and explained that if all commuters were to give the same explanation then it was impossible to draw the line.
Honestly, I feel its rather dumb. The line should be drawn, on the item being eaten, not on why its being comsumed. What harm can a sweet do on the train? Messy items like a packet of chicken rice or a can of coke would cause inconveniencce if its accidentally dropped onto the floor. But a sweet, that stays forever enclosed inside your mouth?
By the way, the fine was $30. Not a lot, but still, I strongly feel there isn’t any rationale to impose such a fine.
Totally agree. It just doesnt make any sense for charging someone because of eating a small sweet… gosh… this penalty does not serve the purpose for keeping the MRT clean.
yep yep exactly.. they should look at the objective of the imposing fines, and not just about $$
yeah and do u realise there are no dustbins allocated in the stations. if u sneeze on a tissue paper, you got to hold on to it till u reach ur destination. the air system in the carriage is bad if there are alot of commuters. my throat gets dry due to this (asthma), i need to suck on sweets so that I don’t cough. do i have to feel as dodgy as mas selamat for eating sweets. SMRT, better wise up!!
This is ironic. I know this because I am a victim of motion sickness.
Maybe it’s because SMRT wants $$$ I believe so…
I also don’t think ALL commuters would take in that excuse of being motion sick anyways. I’d rather someone be sucking (note, not chewing) on a sweet than getting motion sick and vomiting on the railway premises.
Now why does this remind me of the film ‘Just follow Law’?