Under the banner of ‘harmonious society,’ Guangzhou may introduce an ordinance that would evict residents who repeatedly spit or drop cigarette butts in public. From Times Online’s Jane Macartney:
Under a new scheme introduced at a government-subsidised housing complex in the southern city of Guangzhou, residents have been told that they could forfeit their homes if they are repeatedly caught spitting or dropping cigarette ends.
A proposed penalty system has been designed to “build a civilised, hygienic, safe and harmonious community environment”, the Guangzhou Land Resources and Management Bureau said on its website.
Residents would be penalised on a points system and rack up three points if caught seven times committing any of a series of minor offences which include spitting.
More serious transgressions, such as unsafe storage of “flammable, explosive, poisonous, radioactive and other hazardous materials”, carry heavier point penalties. Residents who accumulate more than 20 points in a two-year period would be evicted.
A spokeswoman for the local housing authority said that the points system followed constant reports of unsanitary conditions and robberies in public housing neighbourhoods.
From BBC News:
Feedback from the public is being sought before the plan is implemented.
Some Chinese people have already criticised the plan on internet forums, saying it represents “discrimination against the poor”.
“What if a rich person did all these things?” asked one web user.
