KARACHI:
Throwing garbage on the streets, violating traffic rules, parking in the wrong place, failing to give way to others and making public places dirty are unfortunately no longer surprising. It seems as if following basic rules have become difficult for citizens to follow. But is the public entirely to blame? Ofcourse not.
Consider Copenhagen, a city in Denmark, where streets and parks are kept clean, and people follow orderly practices in public spaces. Denmark also has a deposit-refund system for plastic bottles, encouraging people to return them rather than discarding them. Similarly, in Japan, the concept of “Meiwaku,” or avoiding causing inconvenience to others, is an important social principle. People avoid speaking loudly while on their phones and are conscious of how their behaviour affects those around them. Cleanliness is not seen as the government’s responsibility alone. Now let us look at our own cities. Garbage can be seen along roadsides while broken roads, encroachments and stalls make already narrow streets more congested. Heavy traffic only adds to the problem. People drive with little regard for their own safety or that of others, while ignoring traffic rules and refusing to give way. Yet it would be unfair to blame citizens alone.
The government should strengthen these systems and introduce civic responsibility in school curricula so children learn the importance of cleanliness, road safety and respect for others from an early age. At the same time, citizens must fulfil their own responsibilities. Civic sense is simply about showing the same consideration in public that we expect from others in our own homes.
Duaa Sajjad
Karachi
