{"id":8119,"date":"2013-11-01T22:40:48","date_gmt":"2013-11-01T14:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/?p=8119"},"modified":"2013-11-01T23:37:19","modified_gmt":"2013-11-01T15:37:19","slug":"a-rebuttal-to-a-commentator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/2013\/a-rebuttal-to-a-commentator\/","title":{"rendered":"A Rebuttal to a Commentator"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

by Walter Lim<\/h4>\n

(Published in Zaobao on 1 November, 2013, translated by Fabian Tee )<\/p>\n

Taking a Closer Look at Singaporeans\u2019 \u201cInterest in the Wild (side)\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I refer to the commentary by Mr Goh Choon Kang\u00a0 ( a media professional\u00a0 and a former MP)\u00a0 entitled \u201cLooking from the sidelines at Singaporeans\u2019 interest in the wild side\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/span> dated Oct 23, 2o13. In it\u00a0 he posed the question : \u201cwhy did the dialogue between civilian and government not take place before unilateral action was taken by one party with the expressed hope of opening more channels of communication? Just reflect for a moment, how the official in charge of heritage affairs must be feeling right now.\u201d <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This article has created\u00a0 considerable public misconception. The Prime Minister, after all,\u00a0 had on the occasion of the opening of the Heritage Festival 2013 said that:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government does not own the Singapore heritage. It does not define the Singapore heritage. Our heritage is a collection of individual memories, woven together into a national story. It is something that belongs to every Singaporean, and which each one of us can contribute to and help to preserve, individually and collectively\u201d. PM Lee.<\/em> <\/span><\/h3>\n

Therefore, it stands to reason that any civilian initiative to help Singapore preserve its\u00a0 heritage should be a source of comfort for the authorities. Besides, the National Heritage Board’s Alvin Tan is a broad-minded and enlightened official, and not a petty\/small-minded individual as implied by Goh.<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

In Goh\u2019s article entitled \u201cThe basis and limits of dialogue\u201d, he stated that \u201cperhaps I lacked culture or cultural depth, but I feel that most Singaporeans are unlikely to bring their old or young to a desolate place in the middle of nowhere during their free time\u201d.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong> (I agree) Most people are of this (Goh’s )\u00a0 same mindset \u2013 civilians and officials\u00a0 alike, think that way. It was under such dire circumstances that the application to World Monuments Fund was made. Can anyone imagine holding a dialogue under such circumstances? It would have been\u00a0 laughable.\u00a0 Fortunately the unrelenting efforts (of many) have paid off and\u00a0 many parents do bring their children and elderly parents to Bukit Brown.\u00a0 For his sake and society at large, I sincerely hope that Goh will deepen his cultural depth so that more young and old will come to Bukit Brown for leisurely walks.<\/p>\n

On the government\u2019s heavy burden of providing for the basic necessities for millions,\u00a0 Goh said that the volunteers are of the opinion that \u201cyou (government)\u00a0 can resolve to solve the existing traffic problems, just leave our\u00a0 Bukit Brown alone. For the record, many alternative plans\/suggestions were submitted to the government once the road announcements were made. Subsequently there were suggestions to leave the tombstones by the roadside,\u00a0 blending the past with the modern. Recently, we also took part in the exercise to incorporate Biddari\u2019s history into the planning of the new town. These efforts collectively demonstrate\u00a0 that the volunteers are trying to strike a balance\u00a0 between\u00a0 preserving the past and developing the future. Unfortunately, none of our suggestions\/feedback for Bukit Brown\u00a0 found fertile ground and they have since fallen by the wayside.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the plan for Lornie Road reflects a lack of foresight and planning. Three years after expanding the number of lanes on Lornie\/Adam Roads in 2009, the government now anticipates\u00a0 a reduction\u00a0 in the (Lornie) lanes after the Bukit Brown\u00a0 highway is built. Instead of expending money on the expansion and subsequent shrinking of Lornie Road, why not just build the Bukit Brown highway in the first place?\u00a0 The excitement that followed the government\u2019s undertaking to quicken the pace of housing and transport infrastructural development after the last General Election\u00a0 quickly morphed into a hidden worry. Plans for building Bukit Brown highway were carried out without the benefit of any impact assessment particularly that of a heritage impact assessment in face of a large scale destruction of historic artifacts. In the final analysis, is the Bukit Brown highway really meant for development or is it an unmitigated disaster?<\/p>\n

When the plans were announced last year, an estimated 5000 gravestones were to be affected and LTA then reduced that to 3746 due to a change in road plans. Now the official number has been\u00a0 re-estimated at 4153. What is really going on here? Even more worrisome for us is the sense of how\u00a0 heritage preservation is considered in this country. Minister\u00a0 Tan Chuan Jin said in parliament that (the preservation of) material culture including gravestone, carvings and tiles etc are very important. Yet after discussions at the higher level, there has been no concrete plans for a proposed memorial garden for the\u00a0 preservation of gravestones of important personalities.\u00a0 The imminent threat of destruction to thousands of graves has not provoke the local museums or Chinese clan associations to show any interest in preservation whatsoever. Dare I ask , is any government body or department truly satisfied with this (state of affairs) or process?<\/p>\n


Leaving aside Goh\u2019s portrayal of the\u00a0 Bukit Brown volunteers as a bunch of \u201cwild enthusiasts\u201d, this unlikely\u00a0 group of individuals who busy themselves over all things related to Bukit Brown,\u00a0 stands in stark contrast with the total lack of interest displayed by the leaders of the Chinese Clan Associations. This lackadaisical attitude even extends to the discovery of the tombstones of founding fathers of their clans.<\/p>\n

At a time when the Gan Eng Seng alumni paid their respects to his\u00a0 grave during Qing Ming, the Chinese High and Nanyang Girls High and Industry Commerce Schools etc have instead chosen to forget their history.<\/p>\n

When a country\u2019s polity has no regard for our collective history and the hallowed grounds of our Chinese pioneers and civilisation,\u00a0 evoke nothing but disdain, are policies to blame and have the people all forgotten (the past)? <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

As Bukit Brown is doomed\u00a0 to its fate, a group of volunteers\u00a0 -whose ranks comprises\u00a0 Indian, Dutch and Japanese and others who know not a single Chinese character – are picking up the Chinese language to decipher tomb inscriptions, studying the various pioneers\u2019 connections with old temples, clan associations, schools and some even extending their research into local history and the Chinese civilization. This abiding interest of the so called \u201cwild enthusiast\u201d calls for a deeper sense of reflection. Surely, this phenomenon is hardly one that can be\u00a0 understood by anyone looking from the sidelines.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

More on the road expansion at Lornie Road here.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The full report in Chinese:<\/p>\n

\u6b63\u89c6\u65b0\u52a0\u5761\u4eba\u7684\u201c\u91ce\u8da3\u201d
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\n\u53cd\u89c2\u7f57\u5c3c\u8def\u662f\u672a\u66fe\u6df1\u601d\u719f\u8651\u7684\u5de5\u7a0b\uff0c2009\u5e74\u6269\u5efa\u540e\u901a\u8f66\u4e09\u5e74\uff0c\u5c31\u5f97\u5f00\u8f9f\u65b0\u9053\u8def\u7f13\u548c\u4ea4\u901a\uff1b\u800c\u4eca\u5f00\u8f9f\u6b66\u5409\u5e03\u6717\u65b0\u9053\u8def\u5b8c\u6210\u540e\uff0c\u53c8\u8981\u51cf\u5c11\u7f57\u5c3c\u8def\u7684\u8f66\u9053\uff0c\u8bf7\u95ee\u5f53\u5e74\u4e3a\u4f55\u4e0d\u76f4\u63a5\u5f00\u8f9f\u6b66\u5409\u5e03\u6717\u65b0\u9053\u8def\uff0c\u5374\u5927\u8d39\u5468\u7ae0\u7684\u6269\u5efa\u53c8\u518d\u6536\u7f29\u7f57\u5c3c\u8def\u5462\uff1f\u4e0a\u5c4a\u5927\u9009\u4e4b\u540e\uff0c\u653f\u5e9c\u5728\u623f\u5c4b\u4e0e\u4ea4\u901a\u65b9\u9762\u52a0\u5feb\u5efa\u8bbe\u811a\u672c\uff0c\u8fd9\u559c\u8baf\u53cd\u800c\u6210\u4e3a\u9690\u5fe7\uff0c\u9053\u8def\u672a\u5168\u9762\u8bc4\u4f30\u5c31\u5306\u5306\u5efa\u9020\uff0c\u5c24\u5176\u4e0d\u66fe\u8bc4\u4f30\u5bf9\u6587\u5316\u9057\u8ff9\u6240\u5e26\u6765\u7684\u7834\u574f\u3002\u5f00\u8f9f\u6b66\u5409\u5e03\u6717\u65b0\u9053\u8def\uff0c\u7a76\u7adf\u662f\u53d1\u5c55\u6240\u9700\u6216\u8bb8\u662f\u65e0\u5984\u4e4b\u707e\uff1f
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\u6797\u5fd7\u5f3a
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\"Cluster<\/a>

Cluster of Qing Tombs circa 1830s resited twice before Bukit Brown – now staked for exhumation to make way for 8 lane highway (photo Catherine Lim)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Claire<\/a>

Story telling for children (photo A.J. Leow)<\/p><\/div>\n

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  by Walter Lim (Published in Zaobao on 1 November, 2013, translated by Fabian Tee ) Taking a Closer Look at Singaporeans\u2019 \u201cInterest in the Wild (side)\u201d I refer to the commentary by Mr Goh Choon Kang\u00a0 ( a media professional\u00a0 and a former MP)\u00a0 entitled \u201cLooking from the sidelines at Singaporeans\u2019 interest in the wild side\u201d dated Oct 23, 2o13. 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