Fewer complaints about joss paper burning throughout this 12 months’s lunar seventh month

SINGAPORE: There have been fewer complaints about joss paper burning throughout the Chinese language seventh month this 12 months, based on figures launched by the Municipal Companies Workplace (MSO) on Monday (Oct 31).

There have been 2,999 complaints throughout this 12 months’s Hungry Ghost Competition interval, which falls throughout the seventh month of the lunar calendar.

That is about 13 per cent lower than the determine of three,441 throughout the identical interval in 2021. There have been 4,333 complaints in 2020.

Chatting with reporters on Thursday, Senior Minister of State for Nationwide Growth Sim Ann credited the drop in complaints to current efforts by an alliance of non secular and neighborhood teams that seeks to teach the general public on the right method of burning joss paper.

The Alliance for Motion on Norms for Joss Paper Burning, launched in July, includes 10 organisations together with the Singapore Buddhist Federation, the Singapore Federation of Chinese language Clan Associations, the Taoist Federation, in addition to the Singapore Spiritual Items Retailers Affiliation.

To deal with the issue of indiscriminate joss paper burning, the alliance launched a public schooling marketing campaign which centered on correcting misconceptions and myths related to joss paper burning.

As an example, some devotees imagine that it’s custom to toss joss paper into the air. So the alliance centered on correcting that false impression by stating that joss paper must be burnt throughout worshipping, and never tossed or scattered.

Their outreach efforts and marketing campaign messages had been featured at getai exhibits and on Chinese language radio programmes.

Posters reminding individuals of the dos and don’ts of joss paper burning had been additionally put up in neighbourhoods and supermarkets, subsequent to the place joss paper merchandise had been being bought.

When requested whether or not the Authorities will contemplate extra punitive measures to clamp down on indiscriminate joss paper burning, Ms Sim stated this may not be so efficient.

“As a result of joss paper burning is a long-standing cultural follow, it is going to actually be simpler if practitioners had been to undertake the norms of joss paper burning and internalise them over time,” stated Ms Sim.

She added that the alliance will proceed its work in educating the general public and in addition look into the way it can tackle the problem of burning joss paper alongside frequent corridors in HDB blocks.