We had a great session at the Tiong Bahru CC yesterday.
The turnout was fabulous and the sense of a close knit community could be felt within the conference room.
Kelvin Ang and Terence Yeung did a fabulous job. (BIG APPLAUSE!!!!)
I'm very proud to be living in this ONE OF A KIND neighbourhood in Singapore.
Only one issue disturbs me greatly during the session.
The Pre-War residents may not have felt it as they were the majority and they were the more vocal ones.
Most of the handful of POST-WAR residents like myself, were just participating passively.
There seems to be a lack of appreciation for the POST WAR Tiong Bahru units during the meeting.
Some Pre-War residents even wanted the Town Council to differentiate the 2 sections with different colours.
I don't mind having two different set of colours but those colours should complement each other, not compete or divide the Estate.
The current scheme between the Pre-War and Post War section is a good example of complementing colours.
Though the ORANGE are not of the same tone, it still nevertheless gives a sense of UNITY between the two sections.
In my opinion, this PERCIEVED UNITY is a very important point for all residents here to consider.
If the HDB section (Post War) is perceived as a lesser part of the Tiong Bahru Estate, it would be so much easier for the authorities to en-bloc that section when demand for prime land override the need to preserve or conserve.
We have already lost those beautiful KIM PONG flats as well as those walk up apartments that used to sit next to Tiong Bahru Plaza. Let’s not let this erosion go unabated.
The more the POST WAR and PRE-WAR flats are perceived as ONE, the higher the probability of keeping the entire Tiong Bahru Estate as it is now.
Let's face it, if the POST WAR section gets knocked down, I can bet with you that the ambience here will never be the same.
So I urge everyone here to see the HDB side as a valuable part of the Tiong Bahru Heritage as well.
3 comments:
You know, from my youth, I first got to know of Tiong Bahru only because of the Post-war flats because they lined the main road.... and were most visible to passersby.... I only knew of the pre-war flats much later in my life.. guess i was too focussed on the market and the food, whenever I visited! Anyway, I now value both 'parts'.... :)
In my recollection, I also remembered the post-war stairwells as being painted a dark pastel blue....
Another note of appreciation to everyone involved in TB neighbourhood mission to retain its history and character and more importantly its soul.... I would have loved to be at the meeting but I'm in NZ for now. This is a good start to forming a strong voice to keep the whole estate intact and hopefully there will be no enbloc sales for the HDB section and HDB will realise what a jewel it is and what an integral part of its history.
I strongly believe that the Tiong Bahru estate is a single community, regardless of whether we live in the "pre-war" or "post-war" sections. I know that many of my "pre-war" section neighbors feel the same way I do, and will fight all the way to keep the estate and community intact! Look forward to more ongoing dialog among all residents.
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