Time to Make Some Trouble

Posted by Lam Chun See under Reflections
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Recently, I was privileged to be invited by the National Heritage Board to attend the book launch of Singapore’s Monuments & Landmarks: A Philatelic Ramble. The main author was one of my fellow ‘Friends of Yesterday’, Dr Tan Wee Kiat. The launch was held on 2 April 2007 at the Singapore Philatelic Museum. I must apologise for not blogging about that event because I was quite busy at that time.

The Guest of Honour for the event, Professor Tommy Koh gave a very humourous and engaging speech. He made a couple of interesting points which I felt was quite meaningful. Firstly, he referred to himself as a ‘trouble maker’ who made the lives of his friends at the NHB more difficult with his numerous complaints. And he even encouraged the audience to be trouble makers like him because our country needs this type of ‘good’ trouble makers.

Secondly, I believe it was also Prof Koh who shared about his experience in his travels to the poor European countries after the 2nd World War, where many of buildings and monuments were damaged by the fighting. He was surprised that when the time came for reconstruction, they did not take the opportunity to tear down these old buildings and build new ones over them – something we in Singapore would definitely have done. Instead, they retained them. This is something we can learn from.

Last night, as I listened to the podcast of the panel discussion on heritage at Yesterday.sg, I was reminded of Prof Koh’s speech. Hence, I would like to follow Prof Koh’s advice and make a little trouble for my friends at NHB.

Frankly, I was a bit disappointed that the panel did not go into much depth in discussing the loss of ‘tangible’ heritage in Singapore. I understand the discussion lasted only about 20 minutes, and the panelists had a responsibility to publicize the role of museums. Still, I felt there was too much emphasis on museums, culture, artifacts, traditions etc. and hardly any mention of a problem close to my heart - the tremendous erosion of our roots brought about by the change in the landscape of Singapore. I think this aspect of our heritage has the most direct impact on Singaporeans of the post war generation; most of whom I believe, seldom visit museums. I have heard friends who had migrated to Australia say that Singapore has changed so much in the past few decades, it was no longer recognisable. It’s like coming back to a different country. So it’s no big loss to uproot and move to another country.

If that was the case then I think we should try to avoid this mistake for the present generation even as our country undergoes yet another round of rebuilding and reconstructing

Hence, I have a suggestion for the National Heritage Board. Please put up plaques at places that have some nostalgic value; not just historical value. If Nparks can put up plaques all over the island to explain about our trees, why can’t NHB do likewise to explain the history of places in Singapore. In fact, if space permits, it should go one step further, and set up mini ‘memorial parks’.

This plaque was put up by NHB to explain the history of MacRitchie Reservoir.

For example, the town of Bishan has two huge parks. They have football fields, jogging tracks, bicycle parks, ponds, kiosks, a mini-farm, a health spa, and even a playground for dogs. Why not add a little memorial park or museum to explain the history of this place? How many young Bishan residents know that the place they call home was once the largest cemetery in Singapore?

Let’s look at another example: the Princess Elizabeth Estate that my friend Chuck blogged about recently. In a few years’ time, another condo will probably rise up there. Will the new residents have any idea what the place was like before? Will they know that there once stood an estate dedicated to the Queen of England? I very much doubt so. In fact, even as I took the photo of the open piece of land, I have difficultly picturing what it was like just 20 years ago. Nobody will remember this place. In fact, it is not even in Singapore Infopedia. That will be one more brick in Singapore’s heritage lost forever. Indeed, when I look at the field that was once Princess Elizabeth Estate, this line came to my mind;

“And the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.”