Wednesday 11 April 2012

Monumentally Stupid Government Idea Spotted In Singapore

Here, you want to read something really funny? Feast your eyes on this.
The proposal to ban the sale of cigarettes to Singaporean residents born from the year 2000 was first suggested in October 2010.

Minister for Health Mr Gan Kim Yong said during Parliament on Monday that there are difficulties and risks in implementing and enforcing such a measure.

Mr Gan cited the following examples: "A person affected by the ban can circumvent it by getting a friend or relative unaffected by the ban to purchase tobacco products for them or buying the tobacco products while overseas, thereby rendering the intended control measure ineffective."
Ya don't say!
Mr Gan said the Ministry of Health will continue to review its tobacco control programme to ensure that it remains targeted, dynamic and responsive to trends.
It would also help if they were to keep it somewhere remotely sane, doncha think?

Tobacco controllers, eh? Probably the most issue-blinkered brainless twonks on the planet.


10 comments:

Gkayser30 said...

" tobacco control programme"

More like a 'people' control programme!!!!

At least there were no claims of doing something 'for the chiiiildren'.

Mr A said...

Was in Singapore in January.  They have some weird outdoor smoking ban policy out there in that you can't even smoke OUTSIDE bars but rather you have to gather around bins in designated sections.... of the street!  That said, it was very confusing as smoking at my hotel was banned outdoors in certain places but not in others.  However, they also had smoking rooms (tellingly, all booked up).  I never quite worked out what the smoking situation was out there - I just stuck to the bins until people told me otherwise.  Which they didn't.  An ASHite's dream place, though.  On the surface very clean and safe.  But there was a horrible repressive atmosphere out there which despite the heat and beauty ruined it.  I doubt I'll be back.

Mark Wadsworth said...

"But there was a horrible repressive atmosphere out there"
So old Mugabe will feel right at home for his last few days and hours :-)

Steve Brown said...

I scrubbed Singapore from my destination list a few years ago. Cambodia is great, you can smoke everywhere; if you choose the right places, Viet Nam can be very good to a smoker, too. Not tries Laos, but reports say that no-one there has ever heard of a smoking ban!

Mr A said...

Another reason ASH would like it - evidence of brainwashing.  I'm not joking - I had 6 different taxi drivers all say "Singapore is safe and beautiful.  Our women can go anywhere without fear as everyone knows they will be severely punished if anything happens.  We have had to give up some rights for this, but it is worth it."

Six!  All said the same thing (unbidden - I was hardly going to start talking about how repressive I felt it was to a taxi driver while I was on my way to a bar) and all used the same example.  There must have been some campaign or something that they all lapped up.

ASH must be taking notes and hoping that their constant cries of "Death by smoke", "The ban is a success and popular" and "Think of the chiiiildren!" will become similarly absorbed by the British population.

moonrakin said...

If you consider it a bit... think how they might implement this ?

Simply show an ID card to buy cigarettes? hmm.. probably not good enough for Singapore.

From what I know of Singapore - they'll likely automate it with the data being harvested for PRM (Population Relationship Management) purposes.

AFAIK they're enthusiastic about capturing as much about the habits of their population as they can and very opaque about how that data is used.

Lou said...

There's an e-petition for exactly the same thing on our Gov't site. I believe it had about 8 signatures last time I saw it

Mark.S said...

Well at least the fellow admits there might be flaws in his plan.

Unlike some other buffons in the tabacco control mob.

nisakiman said...

 Yes, Laos is same as Cambodia. They don't do smoking bans. Laos is nice, but Vientiane is very quiet compared to PP. ;)

Sam Duncan said...

I always had Blair marked down as a wrong 'un, but the moment I knew I was right was in the run-up to the '97 election, when he was asked in an interview which country he most admired... “Singapore”. My blood ran cold, I don't mind telling you. At that time, it had the highest ratio of surveillance cameras to people in the world. Now... well, now we do.