If you think little red dot Singapore is a modern fine city lying on the tip of the Malay Peninsula, think about Malaysia.

Starting on January 1, shoppers throughout Malaysia will have to be "fined" 20 sen ($0.08 SGD) for each plastic bag in supermarkets on Saturdays. The suay ones living in Penang will be "fined" every day.

It appears to be seen if this move by the Malaysian government will produce a positive result. I am already predicting that there will be a backlash of people flooding supermarkets on Sunday since Saturday's a fine day!

The authorities who enforced this rule should remember that plastic doesn't and will never harm the environment. It is the way people use it that matters the most.

Stopping people from using plastic bags is not going to be a long-term solution for a country who wants to go green.

Maybe we should follow Switzerland's style of imposing fines on those who throw away too much rubbish from their houses.