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Lack of Consultation in Chopping Down an Historic Tree

Published

12 years ago

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By Hidayah Amin–

I write this letter with a heavy heart. I was born in Gedung Kuning (Yellow Mansion) that was acquired by the Singapore government in 1999 under the Land Acquisition Act. To commemorate my birth, my grandmother planted a mango seed in the garden in Gedung Kuning. This seed grew into a tree that bore sweet mangoes that were shared with friends and neighbours.

During a meeting with the General Manager (GM) of the Malay Heritage Centre (MHC) on April 6, the issue of whether the tree should be chopped down came up. A decision arose not to chop down the tree, as there was no termite infestation with the tree as alleged earlier. These are reasons for saving the tree in a country that is quickly losing its heritage:

1. Historical significance of a mango tree in a historic building.

2. Preservation of Malay cultural practice of planting a fruit seed to commemorate the birth of a child.

3. Cultural significance – Malay cooking used a lot of mangoes and it was not uncommon to find mango trees in kampongs.

The GM emailed me on Monday June 25 enclosing an arborist report of 8 June. According to the arborist, the tree was “observed to be overall healthy”. So why chop it down? The GM said that the “Management has… made the decision to have the tree removed from the premises.” She also stated that they had "reviewed all the inputs, feedback and recommendation". As I received only the arborist report, what were the other reports? I was under the impression that the tree was still standing and was finding ways to save it. Alas, I found out that my mango tree was chopped down on Saturday June 23.

That arborist said girdling roots encircling the tree “may cause the tree to uproot or it may introduce decay into the roots system and result in the tree death or uprooting in future”. It is unlikely that the tree may decay anytime soon, leaving enough time for consultation about the future of the heritage tree. Douglas Hyde once said, every crag and gnarled tree and lonely valley has its own strange and graceful legend attached to it. The MHC has been in too much of a hurry without giving due consideration to the symbolic importance of the mango tree which carries historical memories of a Singaporean family that lived in Gedung Kuning.

Hidayah Amin was born in Gedung Kuning (Yellow Mansion) in Kampong Glam – www.gedungkuning.com. She is the author of Gedung Kuning: Memories of a Malay Childhood. She has a M.Phil in Historical Studies from the University of Cambridge.

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Part of Marine Parade experiences flooding after water pipe damage

Flooding occurred in Marine Parade on Friday morning (4 October) after a water pipe was damaged during lift retrofitting works near Block 67 Marine Drive. MP Dr Tan See Leng confirmed repairs are ongoing, with no disruption to water supply. Road access was restored later in the day.

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24 hours ago

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4 October 2024

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SINGAPORE: On Friday (4 October), parts of Marine Parade, including Marine Drive and Still Road South, experienced flooding following the damage of a water pipe.

The incident occurred at approximately 11.40 am during lift retrofitting works at the pedestrian overhead bridge near Block 67 Marine Drive.

Videos shared on social media show floodwaters extending onto surrounding roads.

Dr Tan See Leng, Manpower Minister and also a Member of Parliament for Marine Parade GRC, in a Facebook post confirmed that a damaged pipe led to water flowing onto Still Road South and nearby HDB blocks.

Dr Tan said the damaged water pipe has been isolated, and repairs are currently underway, with no disruption to water supply for local residents.

Staff at the Marine Parade Community Centre are in the process of restoring counter services, having previously faced difficulties accessing the area due to flooding.

Dr Tan noted that contractors from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) are collaborating with the Marine Parade Town Council to clean the affected region, aiming to complete the cleanup by Friday evening.

In an update posted at 4.53 pm, Dr Tan announced that road access along Still Road South had resumed, expressing gratitude to PUB, the Marine Parade Town Council, and the dedicated workers for their swift action in clearing the area just in time for peak hour traffic.

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WMP raises over S$1,600 in a day to help struggling family clear outstanding water bill

Workers Make Possible (WMP) raised over S$1,600 in a single day to assist a struggling family living in a rental flat. The family’s water supply was reduced due to an outstanding S$900 bill. The mother has been severely ill for months, unable to work, leaving her husband, who earns less than S$2,000 per month after CPF deductions, as the sole breadwinner.

Published

2 days ago

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3 October 2024

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SINGAPORE: A struggling family living in a rental flat had their water supply reduced on 1 October, as revealed in an Instagram post by the workers’ rights advocacy group, Workers Make Possible (WMP).

In an effort to ease the family’s burden, a fundraiser was launched. By the evening of 1 October, S$1,620 had been raised.

Of this amount, S$1,200 was transferred to the family to fully clear their outstanding water bill and address other urgent expenses.

The family, which had been accumulating water bill arrears for several months, was informed by SP Group that their water supply would only be fully restored if they paid S$450 upfront—half of their total outstanding bill of S$900.

According to WMP, the mother of the family has been severely ill for months, leading to her inability to work.

As a result, her husband, who earns less than S$2,000 per month after CPF deductions, is the sole breadwinner for the family, which includes young children.

With the rising cost of living in Singapore, the family has struggled to manage household expenses, leading to unpaid bills, WMP shared in the post.

After contacting SP Group, the mother was told the water supply would resume if half of the arrears were paid. However, she could not afford the required S$450.

This situation occurs amid rising water prices in Singapore.

The government raised the price of water by 20 cents per cubic metre this year, with an additional increase of 30 cents planned for next year.

WMP argued that despite government subsidies, many low-income families continue to struggle to cover their basic utility bills.

“Subsidies offered by the government don’t come anywhere close to alleviating the struggles of poor families in paying these bills. PUB earned about $286 million in 2021,” WMP challenged.

To support the family, Workers Make Possible organised a fundraiser via PayNow. In a 5:30 pm update on 1 October, WMP announced that S$1,620 had been raised.

Of this amount, S$1,200 was sent to the family to clear their water bill, while the remaining S$420 will be used to assist a young warehouse worker struggling with illness and rent payments, WMP clarified.

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