I'm back again, spending a little bit more time blogging.. Yes, yesterday's entry was a little to heavy for the light-readers.. But, fear not, today I will be jotting a few mumbles from my head from a recent event in Ireland.. I am hoping this entry will not be lengthy and will only be a point to ponder, to compare and contrast between home and hometown.. I will be discussing a bit about the popular Tidy Towns competition in Ireland and how we fare back home..
Tidy Towns - In The Beginning
Between 1953 and 1957, Bord Failte (Irish Tourist Board, now Failte Ireland) launched a National Spring Cleaning Campaign, with the main objective was to encourage communities to improve their local environment and make their area a better place to work, live and visit.. Rather than the competition a quest for a gold medal, it was the friendly rivalry that mattered to heightened the standard of town cleanliness across the board..
Later in 1958, Tidy Towns was introduced.. Initially, there were only 52 towns took part, but the popularity increased rapidly until now we are looking at around 700 entrants per annum.. Glenties, a town in County Donegal, took the first gold medal for Tidy Towns.. In fact, Glenties maintained their excellent portfolio for a consecutive three years, 1958 to 1960, before Rathvilly (Co. Carlow) put a halt to their run in 1961, only to see Glenties re-claimed their throne the year after.. This rivalry has somewhat posessed the whole nation day by day until the local authorities are doing their best to ensure the gold medal comes home to town.. This year, Westport (Co. Mayo) emerged victorious as the overall winner for the competition..With the re-structuring of Bord Failte in 1995, the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government assumed responsibility to manage Tidy Towns.. Today, the department leads the yearly competition with generous sponsorships including from SuperValu as the main sponsor.. Even after 50 years, the competition still maintains its core principle : Make Your Place A Better Place..
Today, Tidy Towns has expanded considerably to attract more competition among the towns, with the introductions of several categories, including Architectural Award, Chew It Bin It Award, Biodiversity Notice Nature Award and Can It Award.. Of course, these different categories are sponsored by different authorities or commercial companies, for example the Architectural Award is sponsored by The Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland to recognise the role of modern architecture in maintaining and enhancing the beautiful fabric of Irish towns, villages and urban areas..
Tidy Towns : Is There A Malaysian Version?
Over the years, I have come realise the differences that makes these two countries themselves.. Of course, you may be thinking I am talking rubbish as all countries would be very individual and unique in its own way.. What I am trying to relay is the differences that Malaysia can potentially learn from Ireland (and vice versa).. However, it may seem that my pointers would be leaning more towards Malaysia learning from Ireland.. I would not mind you think that at all, most basically because I believe I can change something when I go back home eventually.. It would be harder for me to change things around here, being here more as a professional and less as an active local community member..
Nevertheless, I have made some plans and ideas and I am hopeful that I can kick-start them when I go home as a community member and a professional..
The Malaysia-equivalent of the Tidy Towns is not as massively accepted as it is here.. The Ministry of Rural and Regional Development had an almost similar competition, however I could only find a local (rather than national) level competition.. In fact, the most recent I found it to be in 1999, almost 10 years ago! Hence, to answer my initial question : No, we don't have a Tidy Towns equivalent.. I might be wrong (and I hope I am) in saying this..
The idea of the spirit of cleanliness is more prominent in school level nationally than it is compared to towns or cities.. The Pertandingan Kebersihan, Keceriaan dan Keselamatan (Cleanliness, Radiance and Safety Competition) is not a vague idea not known to any schoolchildren.. In fact, school authorities spend a good amount of their budget to ace in the national competition, striving through the district and state level before going national.. Unfortunately, the spirit ends with the award ceremony, to much of my concern..
Hopes
I do believe Malaysia is more than capable in organising an equivalent competition to Tidy Towns.. Whether it would go national from day one or concentrating on the spirit and idea on cleanliness is up for discussion by authorities.. Having in mind the diverse cultural uniqueness and historical heritages even at state level, maybe this idea can be a stepping stone towards achieving a tidy Malaysia.. Maybe someday we will be able to see 'Pertandingan Kebersihan Kampung Peringkat Kebangsaan ditaja oleh The Store Supermarket' (ie National Tidy Village Competition sponsored by The Store Supermarket)..
It is still at idea and suggestion level, but however unlikely, not impossible.. Malaysia Boleh!
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