The Land Transport Authority's plan to open a major road through
Bukit Brown Cemetery, which is of eco-heritage value, has raised
debates between conservationists and developmentalists.
One sees the more intangible but longer term cultivation of a
collective sense of identity and belonging; the other, the
short-term but lucrative demands for growth and prosperity,
particularly for this land near expensive residences along Bukit
Timah Road.
As the population expands, the contestations for land use will
become more pressing, and this debate is crucial in determining the
liveability of Singapore for future generations.
While I am heartened by the Government's commitment to "a city
within a garden", I am unsure how this can be realised in practice.
The approach to Bukit Brown Cemetery seems instead to be turning
the country into gardens within the city.
Perhaps, we need a radical rethink of land use in light of the
current limitations, and I suggest that Singapore does away
completely with golf courses.
According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority, 22 golf courses and
three temporary golf sites occupied 88 per cent of the 1,600
hectares of land used for sports and recreation in 2000, or 2.2 per
cent of total land area.
To underline the exclusive nature of golfing here, the premium
Singapore Island Country Club has four 18-hole courses, a nine-hole
course and two driving ranges that stretch from Adam Road to the
boundaries of Peirce Reservoir.
All these facilities and land, enjoyed by about 18,000
members.
Although golf courses are located in constrained areas near water
catchment zones, military training grounds or flight paths, not
only do they occupy huge tracts of land, they are economically
unproductive, socially exclusive and environmentally
damaging.
If Singapore's policies are based on pragmatism and inclusiveness,
golfing should not be considered a practical activity here. Golfers
should go to neighbouring countries for their sport.
Given the increasing congestion in public parks like MacRitchie
Reservoir and East Coast Park, it is unacceptable that a privileged
few have exclusive access to large plots of land in a tiny country
with a burgeoning population.
In 1991, plans to convert parts of Peirce Reservoir into an 18-hole
golf course were shelved after the Nature Society convinced the
authorities of the rich wildlife in the vicinity.
This scenic area has remained a public space and diverse natural
habitat that all can enjoy. On similar grounds, if there must be
redevelopment in the Lornie Road area, one of SICC's golf courses,
rather than the cemetery, should make way.
The recent parliamentary debates put greater priority on
cultivating Singapore's soul and on developing a more active
citizenry interacting with a more open Government in an inclusive
society, as the Prime Minister spelt out when he assumed
premiership in 2004.
Singaporeans should ask themselves to choose between saving an
exclusive golf course or a culturally, ecologically and
historically rich site like Bukit Brown Cemetery, if they are keen
on nurturing this Singapore Soul. This is not a difficult choice,
even for the wealthy, if we are thinking of wealth and happiness
for all Singaporeans for generations.
The writer is an assistant professor at a local university.
