Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The Dead Don't Stand A Chance

Minister of State for National Development Tan Chuan-Jin claimed that the Government had explored many options, such as widening Lornie Road and constructing a viaduct, before making the "difficult decision" to slice a swath of real estate through the doomed Bukit Brown cemetery. Due to the undulating topography of the affected area, about one third of the new 2-km road, spanning 600m, will require a vehicular bridge to be erected some 5m to 10m above ground. Even for non-civil engineers, one can easily see the that the proposed scope of works is more extensive than a simpler road widening exercise.

And then there's the far fetch fantasy that "Under the bridge, eco-linkage can be maintained and wildlife in the area can continue to traverse between both sides of the road." Let's just say that heavy traffic on a dual four-lane expressway and the sanctuary of a quiet natural habitat are incompatible elements.

Untold to us is the Government's development plan for the area. Economic consideration has to be the driving force for the planners to "make the final call on the trade-offs between competing land needs". The dead must give way to the living where money matters are involved in the competition, such is the unbending rule of pragmatism. Sometimes it is easier to understand the truth, than trying to decipher the message behind a mountain of lies.

Compared to the leisurely time-table for the Hougang by-election or the COI for the SMRT debacles, the dead are given a shorter time-line: "All Affected Graves which are not claimed by 31st December 2012 will be exhumed in accordance with Government practice for unclaimed graves and the remains cremated individually." That has to be the ultimate insult to our glorious dead.

34 comments:

  1. Dead people are no longer able to vote wisely.

    Chances are they probably voted for the Pro Alien Party anyway.

    The dead, like the living, got the government they deserved.

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  2. A person who knew TCJ during his NSF days told me, "He is a person who says one thing in front of you but does something else behind your back." That comment, more or less, sums up the kind of leaders we have today.

    I support the government if its decision benefits citizens, if not families, if not society, if not humanity. The decision on Bukit Brown's fate satisfies none of the above.

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  3. If it takes the dead to pave this road for the early demise of the PAP, I say let's welcome it.

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  4. Maybe the dead want to do their part too ? They may be dead but their ghost can still haunt those responsible for their unrestlessness. We human can only do so much. Over to you, the Unseen one LOL.

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  5. I think it is not wrong for the dead to give up the land for the living. If not during this generation will be done years later. As slong as there is a shortage of land, we cannot avoid this fate.

    So it is not the final outcome that we are querrering about. Its the way the authority tries to justify the land use. No point hiding behind other excuses e,g, road extention. Just tell the people they want to develop that piece of land. Period!

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  6. All these are private lands or properties for ages. Just another land robbing or grabbing exercise. Government will forcefully acquired these lands for a song and sell of some of the nearby plots at sky high figures.

    That's why Singapore government is filthy rich!

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    Replies
    1. If you get $3b per month (3million employees paying $1,000 CPF permonth) or $36b a year, how not to be rich?

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  7. Pap is not that nice to natives. Recently, the generosity to donate 1.1billion to 2 private bus co plus this building of ns highway. What worries me is, behind our back, they are preparing for many more millions of foreigners to replace us !

    We are already the second most densely populated city/country. There are no place for us to escape. At least for people in Tokyo, they can always visit their county side. What do we have ?

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  8. We can always squeeze in with the papies where there is no longer any place we can squeeze in spore land...i don't think the papies will mind tat much...they have space to spare in their homes...so when you got to squeeze u got to squeeze...

    Thanks to the papies inane and self screw everyone in the end self serving self deluded policies...

    Stupid like farktards these papietards are...lol

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  9. Can't wait for the day when we can bulldoze lau hero's house after he's gone as requested.

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    Replies
    1. can we have live media and tv coverage?

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  10. Not only do Deads have no chance, the living weak too. The education system starts streaming early is to weed out the weak..done very successfully for a small crops of elites and -so-called' survival of the fittest.

    If only the best birds sing, the woods will be very silent.
    If only the living deserve a place, the history & identity will be lost.
    If only the best behavior is rewarded with money, everyone will put on their best to 'look the part'.

    That's the future of Singapore...sinking lower by the day.

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  11. tattler, "the dead don't stand a chance" does not apply to one oldfart in singapore....at 88+ he is considered by many as the only 'walking dead'

    while i am truly tempted to agree that his oxley rise residence should be bulldozed when he finally bites the dust, the pragmatic side of me says the oldfart should be buried there,... either a shrine for die-hard PAP worshippers or a mega public toilet.

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    Replies
    1. Why should he deserve a spot when the more illustrious ancestors and pioneers of Singapore have to be booted out? He can go into the digital archives for posterity - as suggested by TCJ. Everyone is equal under the law.

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  12. The only thing that will not give way is the PARTY & its POWER to RULE. What are YOU going to do about it?

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  13. PAP all a bunch of hypocrites. They say we haven't forged our own culture or identity but they have no qualms demolishing significant historical things in this country. What did Nathan just say recently?

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    1. Exactly! When you keep refusing the nation's right to conserve any historical culture and relevance on this island, what do you expect?
      When you keep suppressing freedom to expression &b free press, what kinds of ideas and identity do you think can surface under your iron rules?!

      The message to the nation is plain for everyone to see
      - Make way for prosperity and growth (money & wealth speaks) everything else that are intangibles is not important and practical. That's the Party that the citizens deserve.

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  14. Those who made the decision to go ahead better be careful. If you get slapped or suffocated in the middle of the night, you should know why

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    1. Just like those dead fish that suddenly floated up in pasir ris river. Not forgetting those bedok reservoirs cases. Too many sins in singapore. Rooster will come home to roost eventually. God speed ahead, PAP.

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  15. So now TCJ is saying that those earlier meetings were only there to 'tell' them , not to 'consult" them on whether BBC will be conserved. The decisions from day 1 has been made..the so called 'engagement' is just for civic show and tell.. to listen to your gripes then in the end still go ahead. Nice act TCJ!

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  16. Its politic man! All in the scipts. No surprises.

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    1. See how the cunning ex-president try to come interject and in a brushstroke imply singaporeans have no culture anyway, so why bother with BBC?! Such audacity! If Singapore has no culture, why bother installing an indian president - just for show? why bother with all these multi-cultural events - just for show? Spend 12 years and 30+ millions for a useless President. When he is not silent, he is utter bullshit.

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    2. Over paid and over eat. LoL

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  17. Looks like there is no way they will change their plans to sell the acquired land eventually to the highest bidder(s).

    Of course they see there is no need to tell us now about their development plans. Isn't that a forgone conclusion, what else can we expect from a money-faced govt ?

    So was there a real need to meet up with those interested groups in the first place if they are not to be 'consulted' anyway, as clarified by the Minister of State ?

    Kind of cunning way to placate critics and opponents, isn't it ?

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  18. When are people going to wake up? No amount of petition you sign and gathered is going to change the fact. The only way singaporeans can show their displeasure should be on the street. Just like anywhere else where true democracy is allowed - taiwan, hongkong, thailand etc..except in Singapore since they have taken away that civic rights (at the threat of businesses collapsing which is really laughable). And since you can't do shite about it, so the only chance is once every 4 years. Only pathetic singaporeans will put up with this.. and we still want to hide behind the superior thinking that it's because we are a 'more civilized' society! Good grief.

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  19. So now MSM call those who wants to conserve as 'naysayers'!! just like the cowboys of the netizens. Anyone who oppose or disagree with their policies get all sorts of negative labeling! We know this tactics far too well by PAP now. What does it take to get them to see that people just don't buy the argument for 8 lane road widening to shave off 10mins of driving? Or what are the real purpose of building more homes (for whom) when all you can do is decrease the # of immigrants into the so called 'limited space' singapore?! You can't argue you have no/limited space (thus justification for high prices) then on the other hand, bring in more people to crowd the space!! If it's not for money and growth then what is? They are not showing any transparency and trying to shaft them down people's throats once again.

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    Replies
    1. Well said. All explanations so far from the government have missed the point. The so called "limited space" is created by them and nothing to do with Singaporeans. If there is no injection of foreigners, our population should be shrinking instead of growing. So the crowdedness has much to do with their policy.

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  20. And truth be told, gone were the days when people have to ask if they want to look after their dead grandparents or their future grandchildren. This is a moot point now as singaporeans know the present & future grandchildren are those of foreign migrants. That just won't fly now.

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    1. Agree. Why can't we allow the old and new to co-exist? To a cause and ask where were all the activists in the past is missing the point. The fact is - BBS is the LAST plot cemetery left and one that has major history and significance. This present generation will NOT be doing their jobs if they let this last piece of vital history & cultural importance be demolished. The authority should really OPEN their mind..just look at how Argentina has changed and revamped the entire place of recoleta cemetery and today it's a very vibrant & known must-visit placefor tourists who want to learn the history of Argentina. That is an example Singapore can aspire to.

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  21. A thought-provoking speech by Mr Ngiam Tong Dow:

    http://www.sqlhack.net/2012/03/14/singapore-must-achieve-more-with-less-by-ngiam-tong-dow-published-march-14-2012/

    The truth is Singapore is not in good hands.

    "Singapore has lost two decades relying on low-wage, low-skilled foreign labour to drive economic growth." Today, we have to be forced to sacrifice our heritage just to create enough space to accommodate the growth of foreign workforce.

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  22. 40years of single party ruling has given these iron-ricebowl civil servants sense of entitlement to bulldoze everything in the name of progress and that 'they know best'. This entire exercise has once again show that the idea of 'consultation, engagement, dialogue' is all just lip service. They have no interest to 'cave-in' and public opinions matter little to them.

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  23. God grant me the serenity
    To accept the things I cannot change
    Courage to change the things I can
    And wisdom to know the difference

    The wisdom required, however is the knowledge not just of the difference between what "can" and "can't" be changed, but of what "ought" to be changed. It's how you put the flesh on its bones which counts. My contention is that PAP has tended to overestimate the extent to which things cannot or should not be changed.

    There is a difference between accepting the unalterable past and questioning the alterable present and future, which are only as they are because of the past. BG TCJ & the planners at SLA have failed to be cognizant in this area.

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  24. Thank you Nature Society (Singapore), the Singapore Heritage Society, and other concerned groups amd activists, for fighting to preserve Bukit Brown and other sites, for the enjoyment of our children, and children's children. Don't give up! A lot of people are behind you.

    Remember how new towns were planned for Pulau Ubin under the Urban Redevelopment's Concept Plan 1991, which was later scrapped under Concept Plan 2001. Well done then, you can do it again here.
    Who says plans cannot be changed, nothing is written in concrete.

    Don't let these greedy buggers turn Singapore into a concrete jungle end to end. The former KTM Railway land, our Green Corridor, is probably their next target; they have already started to evict squatters there.

    We won't need so much development if there were less people here. It shows a lack of foresight and a complete failure of their immigration policies for the last ten years. All done for $$$$. As the saying goes, man does not live by bread alone.

    Very Sad! The only thing that can change their rough-shod ways is through the ballot box.

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  25. http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120321-0000172/Bukit-Brown-trumps-all-popular-parks-here

    This is 100 times better than the $10million spent on creating the man-made artificial marina park just so some egoistic MP can go through the wasteful exercise of taxpayers money to flaunt to the new rich...utter morons.

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