‘If everything works, why does it still feel like it’s not enough?’ Foreigner puzzled by Singaporeans’ complaint culture

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

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