Top image: Isaiah Chua / RICE File Photo
The year is off to a wet start in more ways than one.
From Tanah Merah to Outram Park, public urinators have figuratively flushed Singapore’s reputation for being clean down the drain. Is Singapore really experiencing a surge in public urinators? Or perhaps they’ve just been flying under the radar.
Regardless, this slew of incidents elicited an array of responses from the public.
Interestingly, some have pointed out that this habit, uncouth yet instinctual, is largely seeded in childhood. We have all been nudged by hurried parents to seek a hidden corner when nature’s call could not be deferred.
We’re taught to say “excuse me” to any wandering spirits—a practice rooted in animism that has persisted amid modernisation—then to make a Pavlovian monotone whistle that is believed to charm a golden tide from the trouser snake.
It is a curious relic of our past, yet for some, it’s a practice that lingers well beyond boyhood.
We will never know the reason why these pee-pertrators gave up navigating the labyrinths that we call MRT stations, and splashed their liquid graffiti across public facilities.
They could have avoided costly court dates had they located our MRT stations’ elusive bathrooms. Or perhaps they just weren’t looking hard enough.
As Singaporeans reveal their thoughts on this steamy topic, along with their experiences of going number one in ‘the City in a Garden’, we’ll just say this: Let he who has never relieved himself under an open sky cast the first stone.
“I hate to admit it, but I have peed in public before. It was mainly in public parks or in public drains though. It was mostly in my childhood, and encouraged by my parents. I think they just didn’t want to deal with me peeing my pants.
I’ve seen xenophobic responses to the recent public urination cases. And I just want to say that we Singaporeans aren’t perfect either. Before CCTVs in HDB lifts and lift lobbies were common, people would pee there too.
That said, in 2025, where pretty much every MRT has a toilet, there’s no excuse to pee in public.”
—Melissa, 31
“I’m not sure if there’s a rise in public urination cases or if there’s a rise of these cases being caught on camera now. I’m guessing the chance of finding someone peeing in public will be quite decent if you go to mature estates at night or nightlife districts.
I’m sure most Singaporeans know it’s not law-abiding to pee in public, even if their parents let them pee in public when they were kids. I also see fewer and fewer kids peeing in public these days because I think parents know how to find a washroom too.”
—Ashley, 35
“I’ve seen it quite a bit. In void decks below my block, offenders aren’t even discreet. Peeing in MRT stations is kind of insane though, because stations are full of CCTVs—you will get caught. Maybe these MRT urinators enjoy it? Maybe it’s the thrill of doing something forbidden.”
—Xue Qi, 26
“This isn’t 1980s Singapore, where public toilets were few and far between. And these adult offenders have no excuse!
We can’t always blame parents and upbringing. Regardless of what our parents teach us about public etiquette, it’s still up to us to make good decisions in adulthood.”
—Yang, 48
“It’s definitely up to parents to ingrain in their children that public urination is inappropriate behaviour. It’s obviously wrong in most cases, but in some places where there aren’t any facilities, you do what you gotta do. When I was in Edinburgh during Covid, the government strangely closed public toilets but made urinating in public parks legal.”
—Christoph, 28
“I was surprised by Singapore’s spate of cases, but we have to consider that some public urinators might have mental health issues or difficulty controlling their bladders.
Long ago, when public toilets were not as accessible in Singapore, there were times when we would have to do it in public. We all reach a certain age when we acknowledge that we should not be peeing in public unless it’s really urgent. Now that public toilets are everywhere, laziness to find a public toilet is not an excuse!”
—Declan, 41
“There still aren’t enough toilets in public. Also, I think it’s fine to pee in secluded nature as long as you’re not indecently exposing yourself.
I think serving in the army normalised peeing in public for Singaporean guys. Singapore is also experiencing a rise in kidney disease, so perhaps it’s better for us to relieve ourselves tactfully in public, than hold it in and overload our kidneys and bladders.”
—Logan, 39
