Singapore Heritage: The Old and the New

And so it goes - urban growth has certainly been tighly controlled by the government since the ruling People's Action Party took power back in 1959, with orderliness and cleanliness the main priorities. In the 1960s and 1970s, thousands were moved (some forcibly) from their existing villages and shophouses, into sparkling multi-storey blocks of flats with running water and electricity, where 80 per cent of the population now live.

I myself live in a five-room flat in a a 25-storey block in Ghim Moh, an easily accessible area with schools and the subway nearby, where flats can now cost as much as $600,000, almost double what we paid for it 14 years ago. The average flat, or to paraphrase official dogma, enhanced asset, takes about 30 years to pay off.

Public housing was a contentious issue during the recent General Elections, when the ruling PAP lost the electoral contest for six parliamentary seats, out of a total of 87. While this would be regarded as an overwhelming victory in most countries, it was the most number of seats they have ever conceded to a resurgent opposition. Among other policies, the (now former) National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan's comment that housing remained "affordable" did not go down well.

That aside, much has been lost in the race towards modernity and progress. Towering skyscrapers exist alongside modern landmarks such as the Esplanade and Marina Bay Sands, but many historic buildings have been demolished over the decades. Restored shophouses such as these still exist in Chinatown, Joo Chiat and Tanjong Pagar, but are now a rarity.



During my trip to Beijing a week ago, where numerous historic hutongs and siheyuans dating back to the Ming Dynasty have also been torn down, I could not help reflecting on the similarities between our two cities and what has been lost. For example, the historic Changi Prison, built by the British in 1936 and used by the Japanese to house civilian prisoners during WWII, was torn down in 2000 despite petitions and appeals. Today, all that remains of it is a replica of the chapel built by POWs and a museum.

A recent report in The Straits Times (May 30) says the historic 86 hectare Bukit Brown Cemetery will eventually make way for housing developments. The graveyard holds the remains of many of Singapore's pioneers and once housed a village comprising workmen and their families who provided funeral services to families of the deceased. Today, many of their descendants still return to help maintain the graves that their ancestors once looked after - they told me that they see it as a matter of duty.



What is the price of progress? Does it necessarily come at the cost of retaining your heritage? All I know is that once the past is lost to us, it can never be retrieved.

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