The Civil Aviation Authority Singapore clearly states that there are several items banned from being taken into Singapore. Among them are some of the usual suspects, such as “endangered species of wildlife and their byproducts” and “seditious and treasonable materials.” Also on the list, however, is chewing gum.
Only nicotine gum and medical gum for specific dental needs is permitted to be taken into the city-state, per the Civil Aviation Authority. Why, though, is Singapore so gum-averse?
In March of 2015, BBC News reported the sad death of Lee Kuan Yew. It was Yew who oversaw Singapore’s great prosperity during his tenure as prime minister, an office he assumed in 1959 and held until 1990, per Britannica. As Singapore’s first prime minister, he had the unenviable task of building up a small and isolated nation newly split from Malaysia (in 1965). One of his big priorities in doing so, it seems, was establishing impeccable standards of cleanliness, hygiene and tidiness. As many teachers will tell you, chewing gum often flies in the face of these particular aims, and so Singapore set about becoming almost entirely gum free.
