The National Day Parade (NDP) executive committee is exploring the possibility of letting people opt out of receiving NDP funpacks, said MP Louis Ng.

The Nee Soon GRC MP, who has been working with the committee since last November, disclosed this in a Facebook post on Sunday.

He told the Straits Times yesterday that other suggestions are also being considered, but declined to share further details due to ongoing discussions. ST has contacted the Ministry of Defence for comment.

The committee met more than 20 groups over the weekend to continue a "sustained conversation" on how best to make funpacks greener, Mr Ng added.

His post came after a petition was launched last Thursday to allow people to opt out of receiving such packs, following the committee's announcement that 1.2 million funpacks will be distributed to all Singaporean and permanent resident households this year.

The petition had garnered more than 80,000 signatures as of yesterday, with supporters citing reasons ranging from the poor economic conditions this year due to the coronavirus to making better use of resources as well as the environment.

Government feedback unit Reach also posted a survey asking for feedback on NDP 2020 funpack distribution, which Mr Ng shared via Facebook yesterday morning.

The questions included whether Singaporeans supported the distribution of funpacks, and if they felt these were essential to celebrating National Day.

It is not known when Reach first put up the poll, which closed around lunch time yesterday. ST has contacted the Ministry of Communications and Information for more information.

Mr Ng said this year's proposed funpack is already greener than in previous years, noting that the committee had scrapped the plastic bag, single-use plastic bottle and the physical discount booklet even before the arrangements to celebrate NDP at home were announced. After the new format was made public, he said the committee then also got rid of the usual clapper, scarf and sun visor.

Mr Ng added: "Can we just have no funpacks? We should explore this but I know some people want the funpacks and some don't... we should give everyone a choice."

Mr Kaushik Ilango, 23, the university undergraduate who started the Change.org petition, said he was surprised to receive such an overwhelming response.

His friends and family members thought the funpacks would be a waste if the items are not useful in their everyday lives. "Maybe you'll have five minutes of happiness after receiving it. Then you don't think about it anymore," he said.

The resources could be diverted to more important issues like helping low-wage workers and the unemployed, he added.

Support for Mr Ilango's cause, however, is not unanimous. Mr Clement Chio, 37, is among those who expressed confidence that organisers would have considered the needs and wants of Singaporeans this year in planning for the bags.

"I think it would be something that's appropriate for our current climate," he said, noting that many items in the pack are usually sponsored by big companies, reducing the costs involved.

"If it's going to contain useful items and not stuff I'd throw away, I would really love to have it. I'd make an effort to use them and they will be good memorabilia at the same time," said Mr Chio, who runs a training company.

Mr Kelvin Lai, 42, also said the funpacks would be welcomed, as they are a little "piece of history" to own. "As we celebrate the NDP this year, we celebrate this little red-dot Singapore for surviving a worldwide pandemic," said the assistant director.

Green group Zero Waste SG said that while the ultimate goal is to do away with funpacks altogether, it is very supportive of an "opt-out" option. Its manager Pek Hai Lin said another possibility would be to have people choose items they want in the funpacks, which will better inform organisers about what spectators really want.