Show appreciation of kindness with daisies
By Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 03 November 2009 2119 hrs

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SINGAPORE: The Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) says it has seen more complaints of unkind acts in recent years.

And despite skepticism over the movement's cause, SKM says it is determined to continue pushing it. As part of World Kindness Day this year, it wants Singaporeans to spring their own little surprises on those who have been kind to them.

60-year-old Madam Gan Beet Phang has been working as a cleaner in the last 12 years. She is known to be a kind woman who is always ready to put on a smile for customers at the food court in Suntec City where she works.

To show their appreciation, some 15 of her colleagues sprung what the SKM calls a "kindness ambush" by presenting her flowers.

Madam Gan's supervisor, Ms Savaraiammal Lorosamy, said: "She is never rude to the clients here, she is very polite to them and she is very humble."

SKM hopes to see Singaporeans mirror the same act of appreciation in hopes that it will encourage more acts of kindness.

As such, some 45,000 stalks of yellow daisies will be distributed free at various locations on World Kindness Day, which falls on November 13. Members of the public can present the flowers to people whom they feel have shown acts of kindness.

But will Singaporeans take to the idea?

"That is good because you encourage (people) to do kind (acts)," said a member of the public.

"Singaporeans are generally quite shy. I am not sure if people will do it at a general level," said another.

Teh Thien Yew, general manager of Singapore Kindness Movement Secretariat, said he hopes that through a more self-motivated approach, Singaporeans will in time see they have a stake in promoting a culture of kindness here.

Mr Teh said: "You must re-channel your energy to do something about it rather than to sit there and complain and say there is no kindness in Singapore. I am sure in our lifetime, we have received some (kindness) from somebody. So, to say there isn't and that there is no hope, is very sad."

To encourage kindness in the young, pupils in more than 30 primary schools will show their appreciation at school and at home with folded paper daisies.

- CNA/ir