SINGAPORE: A local content creator recently went viral for defending the frequency with which Singaporeans complain, saying that it serves as a motivator for getting things done.

In a May 24 video on TikTok, Wei Liea (@kelpfishes) tackled the academic-sounding topic of “on social signalling and Singapore‘s great public infrastructure ethos,” which ended up being in praise of the city-state’s complaint culture.

After all, Singaporeans are known to complain a lot, like one father who took to a Facebook complaint group when a grocery store had run out of Yakult. Calling himself “extremely disappointed” that he couldn’t buy the beverage for his children at NTUC Finest Marine Parade, he added that he wanted an “explanation.”

For @kelpfishes, who admitted that Singapore probably has among the highest densities of complainers in the world per square metre, this is not necessarily a negative.

“But wait, who said complaining is a bad thing?” he asked, arguing that it’s natural for babies to cry when they need to sleep or eat, otherwise they suffer in silence.

“If a body does not feel pain, then it will eventually break down,” he added.

He called it “great” that Singapore, as a nation, complains a lot, “because it signals to the government that we need this and that.”

For example, Singaporeans complain about having to walk out in the open, under a hot sun and torrential rain. The government then built covered walkways around HDBs so that people could get to the bus stop.

As for bus stops themselves, the government also went and improved them, so that they’re “not old and stinky anymore,” doing this even without asking.

“They also changed the drainage covers to new covers because we complain so much, right? They already know we’re gonna say things,” he said.

Another example is the Cross Island Line, the longest fully underground MRT line scheduled to be completed by 2029.

“Do we need a Cross Island Line or not? No, but they’re still doing it,” he said, adding, “Don’t stop complaining, folks.”

He then began to talk about the United States, where the attitude is more of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” According to the TikToker, this causes big problems, such as the housing bubble of the 2008 financial crisis, the worst the country experienced since the Great Depression. /TISG

Read also: ‘To prevent the overconsumption of resources’: Stallholder at Lucky Plaza food court defends S$0.20 charge for extra bowl after diner complains

This article (‘Don’t stop complaining’: Singapore TikToker praises complaint culture) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A Ghanaian man sat down with a Singaporean woman to talk about why Singaporeans complain so much, when so many things in the city-state actually work.

Not that for Kojo Enoch, the content creator behind the YouTube channel Explore with Kojo, complaining in Singapore is necessarily a bad thing. On the contrary, he wondered if one of the secrets behind Singapore’s efficiency is its citizens’ refusal to take things lying down.

Kojo has been to Singapore many times and said that from what he’s seen, “Everything looks like it works perfectly here.”

Sabrina, the Singaporean woman he interviewed, acknowledged that things are really good for Singaporeans, with its high level of security and cleanliness, plus one of the most efficient public transport systems in the world. She acknowledged, however, that like all places, the city-state has its advantages and disadvantages, though as a whole, Singaporeans have a lot to be thankful for.

When Kojo asked Sabrina why Singaporeans complain a lot, she said that it has become part of the culture, admitting that even she begins to complain when the train is one minute late, “like it’s the end of the world.”

Kojo, who was struck by this, said, “When you say Singaporeans complain over the littlest thing, I want to believe that this might be a good thing in the sense that it keeps the authorities on their toes. 

But if the authorities or the leaders know that people are not going to complain, then they are going to relax and not do what they are supposed to do to lift up the nation.”

He added that in his home country, people do not hold leaders accountable, “so we take whatever they give us.”

“It basically means you guys will not tolerate anything other than the best,” he added, while Sabrina nodded.

As far as he has observed, most people in developing parts of the world don’t complain, and he added that he wished the people in Ghana would “complain over everything,” not out of ingratitude, but to bring about better standards of efficiency.

Sabrina added that the Singaporean government endeavours through surveys to get feedback from people regarding policies and projects, and Singaporeans are encouraged to give their honest opinions.

“We started from almost nothing. So for us to be able to achieve so much in the last 65 years, it’s an incredible feat,” she added. /TISG

Read also: Help, the taxi uncle peeed during our ride. He’s old, should I launch a complaint or just let it pass?

This article (‘If everything works, why does it still feel like it’s not enough?’ Foreigner puzzled by Singaporeans’ complaint culture) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.