Singapore Sling

Singapore eases chewing gum ban

By Rennie Loh

To the rest of the world, Singapore is known as the nanny state, infamous for its laws like the ban on chewing gum. Recently, the government announced that chewing gum may be sold in Singapore again, although strictly for therapeutic reasons and only on medical prescription.

The chewing gum question had been a sticking point during two years of intense negotiations by Singapore to seal a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States. Through long hours of wrangling over banking, services, tariffs and labor laws, the chewing gum issue left a bad taste in the mouths of U.S. delegates.

However, Singapore's chief negotiator, Professor Tommy Koh, was reported saying they eventually found an "ingenious" solution by making it a medical issue.

Only "sugarless gum prescribed by doctors and dentists as having therapeutic and medicinal benefits will be sold in pharmacies," Professor Koh told reporters. "It was a difficult compromise, but in the interests of resolving all outstanding issues in the spirit of goodwill that exists between the two delegations, we were extremely ingenious," he quipped.

"While chewing gum is not a deal-breaker, it is an issue on which some concessions on Singapore's part would be appreciated and would help the administration to be able to carry the U.S. Congress," explained Professor Koh.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick described the resolution as allowing U.S. gum manufacturers a "modest entry point that is controlled in a certain fashion."

The sale of chewing gum in Singapore after a 10-year ban will not become immediately available, as the FTA is unlikely to take effect until 2004.

Chewing gum has been banned in Singapore since 1992, but chewing it does not run foul of the law. There are basically four areas concerning chewing gum that are illegal in Singapore: import, manufacture, sale and littering. Each offense carries its own separate fine, which can range from Singapore 200 dollars (¥1,400) to over Singapore 6,000 dollars(¥42,000). Chewing is not expressly forbidden.

These laws are derived from the cleanliness initiatives instituted by the Singapore government. In the case of chewing gum, the problem was with the thoughtless chewers who left their nasty, sticky wads anywhere and everywhere they pleased. The costs of removing gum from trains, buses, public buildings and footpaths were escalating at several million dollars annually prior to the enactment of the laws against chewing gum.

Besides being a perennial nuisance in public places and difficult to clean up, chewing gum was also used by subversive chewers to jam the carriage doors of the underground rail system and disrupt the service.

Yet Singaporeans seem to be saying, "So what? No big deal," to the return of chewing gum. "It's a non-issue. Although it was stupid to ban chewing gum in the first place, it isn't a matter of life and death," said Winnie Tan, a sales executive.

Sean Tan, a student, agreed, "If the authorities allow it back, that's cool. If not, I'm not going to scream and shout about it."

Besides, the deal to allow the sale of chewing gum is specific. Only sugarless gum through prescriptions by doctors and dentists for therapeutic benefit will be allowed. Most significantly, it will give smokers looking to kick the habit greater hope with nicotine-coated gum, previously included under the blanket ban.

Singaporeans have largely accepted the ban though there was some strong objection when it was first implemented a decade ago. Since then we have smiled, shrugged off the jibes from our foreign friends and returned home from holidays abroad with illicit heaps of chewing gum for chewing in private.

Gum or no gum, it is no big deal, but to trade officials negotiating the free-trade agreement between Singapore and United States, it means a gesture of goodwill and concession that will benefit Singapore exporters by an estimated Singapore 300 million dollars (¥42.1 billion) annually if the FTA deal is concluded.

Shukan ST: Dec. 6, 2002

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