Sudden removal of herb garden heartless, says resident

http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/10/sudden-removal-of-herb-garden-heartless-says-resident/#comment-27546

Sudden removal of herb garden heartless, says resident

Friday, 24 October 2008, 8:01 am 934 views

We received this email from Rafiz Mohyi Hapipi which he wrote to the Ang Mo Kio-Yio Chu Kang Town Council.

I am writing to express my deepest regret and unhappiness over the sudden destruction of the herb garden surrounding block 819 Yishun Street 81.

I have been a resident of this block and neighbourhod for the past 7 years. This was a peaceful and happy neighbourhood with a good mix of multi-cutural elderly, young adults and children. My two school-going children enjoy the company of Chinese and Indian friends as well as the care and concern of the eldery in the neighbourhood.

Since the day I moved into this neighbourhood, I have seen the elderly here tending to the herb garden that they have worked on for over twenty years. Others who retire later joined in and the herb garden became a regular routine activity that kept the elderly here active and cheerful.
At the same time, while they were working on the garden or having their short rests in between, the elderly here lend their watchful eyes over the children. My own children grew up with their friendly smiles and hugs. They learnt the value of multiculturalism through experience away from force-fed curriculum of National Education taught in schools. My own parents who are themselves retirees, although not staying with me, frequented my place and enjoyed the company of people their age here.

The last few days have been traumatic for the elderly here. With much grieve they saw the herb garden that they have put their sweat and soul in for many years being destroyed heartlessly. I saw tears and heard voices of despair as some of the elderly tried to salvage whatever is left from the plants into pots. Some had given up. An elderly Chinese neighbour at the second floor shared with me, “Sudah Dua Puluh Satu Tahun saya jaga ini pokok. Ini bukan pokok bunga tapi semua ini pokok Ubat yang banyak gunanya. Siapa lagi yang tahu? Kita (orang tua) saja yang tahu. Saya sedih. Macam saya nak cakap suruh buang saja semua jadi saya tak nampak. Apa boleh buat? Diorang boleh buat apa diorang suka. Dua puluh satu tahun diorang takda peduli tapi sekarang semua buang.”

“It has been 21 years since I cared for these plants. These are not flowers but all these are herbs that have many uses. Who else would know (about the herbs)? Only us (the aged) would know. I’m sad. I feel like telling them to dispose of everything so that I can’t see (anything left behind - note: some small plant in pots were left behind). What can I do? They can do what they want. For 21 years nobody cared about this area and now every they dispose.”)

I personally share my tears and grieve with them. I find the whole episode appalling. It is an outright contradiction to the messages of Active Aging that have been sloganised over and over.
My own daughter who is only a kindergarten student was upset when she saw the workers grabbed and dumped the plants aside. I personally feel that the actions in this episode is a reflection of heartless and cold-hearted mechanical policies.

Twenty years of effort have been destroyed. The pride of the aged here has been badly hurt. This episode will definitely be part of my memory and the memory of my children as well as the children in this neighbourhood.

Please relay my message to the Town Council Advisor.

Thank You.

In Utmost Unhappiness,

Rafiz Mohyi Hapipi

http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/08/national-day-or-mp-day/

National Day or MP Day?

Thursday, 7 August 2008, 12:00 pm 1,244 views
Announcement: Watch out for TOC’s National Day video tomorrow. It includes an original song by the band Blackstar.

Gerald Giam / Deputy Editor

As August 9th draws near, springing up all over the island are posters of smiling People’s Action Party Members of Parliament (MP) and Government ministers wishing Singaporeans a Happy National Day. While this might be a regular sight that Singaporeans have been conditioned to accept all these years, I question its necessity.

Like most other Singaporeans, I love National Day and the festivities that come with it. Singapore has achieved much over the past 43 years and we have much to be proud of and grateful for.

But why is there a need for politicians to splash their faces across every other National Day poster? In my little sub-constituency of Canberra in Sembawang GRC, I have counted at least two giant sized billboards.

When I travel through Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Timah and Tanjong Pagar, almost every other lamp post on the main roads is decked with smiling pictures of PAP politicians superimposed on pictures of children. The main intersection of each town has a giant billboard with all the MPs in the GRC waving, some even with their names and titles labelled on their photos, lest any resident forgets.

One huge billboard in Joo Chiat even has a politician with his fist clenched across his chest, as if reciting the Pledge. (Picture right).

The purpose of these billboards is quite clear: to give the MPs more visibility so that residents will recognize them and hopefully vote for them at the next elections.

Who pays?

I am guessing all these posters and billboards are not paid out of PAP coffers, but from town council funds — to which I contribute over $740 each year.

I emailed Sembawang Town Council and Tanjong Pagar Town Council to ask, but they did not reply. Strange, since my town council has always been very prompt in replying to the municipal problems I have raised.

Is this a prudent use of my hard-earned money, particularly in a time of a slowing economy and high inflation? Why should my town council payments be used to further my MP’s political interests?

Worse, some giant billboards are lit up the entire night with bright spotlights. What happened to our eco-friendly drive? And what about the cost of the electricity used, keeping in mind that the prices of fuel have increased recently.

In fact, some of these posters look no different from election posters sans the lightning symbol. Doesn’t the Parliamentary Elections Act prohibit election advertising outside of the campaign period?

I do not see posters of MPs in opposition wards of Potong Pasir and Hougang. In Potong Pasir, there are some posters, but without Chiam See Tong’s face. Hougang has a simple landscaped display of the Singapore flag along Avenue 2 – and no, Low Thia Khiang’s picture is not included either.

Views of other Singaporeans

I checked with a Singaporean friend living in the US whether such banners and posters appeared on the 4th of July, America’s Independence Day. There were none in the city where she lives.
She emailed me, “I personally think that the banners…look hideous and distasteful. When I tried to raise this matter up with someone a long time ago, I remember being told off that those posters were being targeted at the heartlanders.”

She added, “To put banners like the one you sent me…when there is no GE (General Election) near in sight, that’s definitely propagandistic”.

Another friend, who works in the media, told me: “It gets very confusing here. Can’t tell the difference between country, state, government and ruling party.”

Suggestions

I would like to suggest that the PAP and its town councils immediately stop the use of public funds to promote their partisan causes. For a start, all the spotlights for the billboards should remain off at night to save electricity.

I hope our ruling party MPs realise that National Day is a day of celebration for the whole nation, not a season to honour themselves.


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请防止巴刹火患发生

（2008-08-02）

● 黄永民

　　在勿洛南大牌16巴刹，有一间小店，#01-249，每天收摊后，把大量的货物（香烛，金银纸料）放在小店的门口，不收进店内，这是非常危险的事，因为这些都是十分容易燃烧的东西，万一发生火患，把巴刹烧掉，有很多小贩的生活将成大问题，投诉东海岸市镇理事会也无法解决，希望民防局能真正的把问题解决，防止火患发生。

Pasir Ris Central St 3

Motorcycles on sidewalk - Woodlands

珠光大厦人行道恐将成为火灾陷阱