1979 saw the launch of the National Courtesy Campaign which was conceived and inaugurated by the then Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. The principal objective of the campaign was to create a pleasant social environment through the inculcation of courteous and considerate behaviour among Singaporeans. The campaign adopted “Make Courtesy our Way of Life” as the slogan.

The campaign was inaugurated on June 1, 1979 and was held for two months with the support of all sectors. The public sector and constituencies in particular played key roles in spreading the courtesy message among over 100,000 civil servants and the respective constituents. In addition to that, the Ministry of Education also implemented a separate five-year special project to promote courtesy in schools.

Since March 2001, the National Courtesy Campaign has been officially subsumed under the Singapore Kindness Movement.

Posters and photograph courtesy of National Archives of Singapore