Tuesday, October 28, 2008 7:28
Destruction of herb garden contradicts active ageing message, says resident
In TOC TV, Teng Jing Wei, Top Story • 1,639 views • 36 Comments
This is a follow-up to TOC’s earlier publication of an email from Mr Rafiz Mohyi Hapipi about the destruction of a herb garden in Yishun.
Teng Jingwei
All that remains of a 21-year old herb garden is a patch of carelessly levelled soil and several haphazardly arranged potted plants. The herb garden located at Block 819, Yishun, was a haven for senior citizens and other residents alike. It was razed to the ground a few days earlier by the town council on the pretext of it being the source of rodents in Zone D, which the area is in.
Mr Rafiz Mohyi Hapipi, aged 33, who resides in the area, lodged a complaint with the town council about the removal of the garden. His letter to the Ang Mo Kio-Yio Chu Kang Town Council questions the relevance of such action in the face of active ageing campaigns, particularly the recommendation to “encourage seniors to lead active lifestyles” made by the Committee of Ageing Issues. Mr Rafiz asserts that “the town council is sending out a contradicting message”. “They would have had something to do if the herb garden was not destroyed” he said, referring to a couple of senior citizens who could be seen sitting around listlessly. “The herb garden served as a gathering area for neighbourhood activities such as barbeques and brought joy to the community.”
Mr Rafiz affirms that the plot of land had been in use for 21 years and is almost as old as the block of flats. “There was an implicit agreement to the existence of the herb garden,” he said. Residents attended to the garden voluntarily, and the elderly in particular looked after the herbs to keep themselves occupied. “There were no designated caretakers but if we would like to take some herbs from the garden we would ask permission from the 6 or 7 senior citizens who regularly water the plants,” Mr Rafiz explained.
According to him, the town council did not consult the residents before they cleared the garden. The plants were dug up within a few hours one morning while he was away at work. Unsuspecting residents returned to a scene of wreckage littered with uprooted herbs. Plants that could be salvaged are now stored in an array of pots near the void deck, but these bore no resemblance to the healthy garden that was once resplendent with life and joy..
The manager of the Residents’ Committee stated that the garden was removed in response to complaints of rodents breeding in Zone D. Mr Rafiz informed TOC that the sightings of rodents are at the coffee shop which is a 5-minutes walk away. What was termed as a “blanket policy”, in the words of Mr Rafiz, may have been an “over-simplistic approach” to solving the pest problem. He also maintains that there were no signs of damage by rodents on the herbs.
Mr Koh, aged 42, whose mother-in-law lives in block 819, has been visiting the area for more than 10 years. He expressed regret over the loss of the herbs, many of which had medicinal properties. “I don’t see any reason behind the destruction of the garden,” he said.
Mr Rafiz and Residents’ Committee members were to discuss “the unhappiness cause by the destruction of the herb garden”. Residents’ Committee members, however, did not show up for the meeting on Sunday, 26 October.
Mr Rafiz also told TOC that the Member of Parliament for the area, Ms Lee Bee Wah, has also not contacted him or the elderly residents who had cared for the garden.
Video of interview with Mr Rafiz:
News report on the incident (in Chinese):
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Related posts:
36 Comments
sarek_home
pigscanfly
lee bee wah again?! was she vetted properly before someone put her on the tailcoat of a mini-star?
sheez, this is so ratty!
blackfeline
forget it…she only works on strayed dogs and ping pong….
Mee Siam Mai Hum missing man
I find it amazing that Yishun HDB is under AMK-YCK TC.
Btw, I hope TOC start a newspaper like Today and give the People another choice of newspaper. Today is under u-know-who. It would be refreshing to have an independent newspaper. Instead of TV station which is broadcasted based on fixed time schedule, TOC could have a TV station on the internet allowing the PEOPLE to hear Alternative news reporting.
For example, MSM TV may interview a few people for opinions about say a HIKE. A few views is not sufficient. TOC TV could offer more opinions from the People.
If this can be achieved, in 1 years time singapore would have started changing dramatically.
regards
Chua Mui Mui of the Hoong aka Laidia Lum of the Horse Mouth
Sad resident
Another problem from this LBW n her running dogs, arrogant behaviour has been passed down from the top n the PAP garman.
gemami
4) Mee Siam Mai Hum missing man on October 28th, 2008 10.11 am
- I find it amazing that Yishun HDB is under AMK-YCK TC.
the long arm of GRC, Yishun South needed rescuing at the last GE to prevent it from falling into the handds of the opposition. In came the long arm of AMK GRC headed by the LOO(ng) of course to rescue it.
If LBW doesn’t buck up, it may just bring down the LOO(ng).
DARTH VADER
Town councils are another arm of the PAP. Its time all these are independant of the government. Where is the transparency. I look forward to a real change in the next election. Lets see what the PAP is gonna come out to con the people again,
Time has come for all to stand up for the ture people of the country for the country. Lets us run our own country and not tlet it be run by scape goats of the government. There should be avenues for the residents to ge rid of these people running the town councils if they are not capable of running them.
squidsquid
they can destroy residents’ heart and blood for the care of the garden…..if anyone touched any of the trees or plants by TC, RC or perhaps planted by MPs on so-called tree planting day, the person will likely to be sued till pants drop……..at the end of the day, to them, this is just another honest mistake made and time to move on……
James
Its not the first incident of self contradiction. “should not combat inflation with pay rise”, “gst helps the poor” are just some examples. What a surprise of the century.
anything wrong just blame PAP
Another complaint – I know who to blame.
My cat ate my breakfast. I think it’s PAP’s fault. Because the herb garden is gone and my cat has nowhere to go to find the rodents to catch.
Singapore Resident
Forget herbs…safer to plant Hibiscus – - the national flower of Malaysia.
If MIWs have their way, old folks cannot be wasting time tending to garden of herbs…they should be working…cleaning tables/collecting cans etc. Perhaps paid $0.50 for each rodent caught…like those mozzie busters
Hhm…i wonder if TC’s staff attended the same school for problem solving:
How come all these misdeeds are so easily forgotten during election time? I wonder.
don
isn’t it sad if pm lee were to response to this issue >>>
gahment in no position to guarantee whether herb garden is safe…
& maybe add another sentence>>>
anyway the herb garden doesn’t belong to you, we see as we deem fit, we will handle it at our own disposal, don’t complain so much, let’s move on.
Resurrect the Herb Garden Again
It’s Time to Resurrect The Herb Garden Again.
Zone D Residents’ Committee Members – It’s Time for You to Be Part of A Community Initiative Par Excellence. Heal the Hurts and Mend the Wounds.
In the area where I live, there are lovely herb gardens in nice nook and corners on street levels and even plants in giant pots on the ground floor growing beautifully.
It’s so refreshing to see ladies fingers, sun flowers, vegetables etc. . .. grown in neat plots taken care by committed, conscientious Singapore senior citizens.
Such Effort – Priceless!
rs
Funny. No herb garden in my estate, but still plenty of rodents. Saw 1 this morning under the morning sun! Maybe should shoot it and put on STomp.
@14
Yes, only to be torn down by blind mice in the near future again I presume.
Lights and Sound
hi jingwei :)
jingwei fanclub spotted :D
Donaldson Tan
Is Jingwei the female reporter on TOC TV?
xtrakm
What’s done is done. Forgive those who did it as they are only taking. As for those who gave the order, forgive them for their ignorance and insensitiveness. Don’t let them “loose face” as we can be more gracious than them. For all you know, they may redo the place and make it better, otherwise they risk losing your votes.
Tai Chi
It looks like the main stream media stay from this news as no coverage till now.
Anyway, they will restore the garden and invite the MP to officiate the opening so as to score political points.
piggy13
what’s herbs we are talking about? it look like a cluster of poorly, unmaintained planting to me. you may well do this ‘herbal gardening’ in your own private garden, but not on a public land please, where residents like us are paying monthly s&cc to town council to maintain for u?! i see the town council doing nothing wrong to remove such illegal planting to ensure a cleaner greenery for the residents. pests, rats, mosquitoes could be breeded in such unhygienic condition. are we waiting for such pests infestion to occur then blame the town council for not doing their job?? may i ask who’s going to maintain the housekeeping then?? is mr rafiz (since had such a great sentiment to the weeds) going to take responsibility, should any mosquitoes or rats breeded and affect our family or other residens’ health??
thumbs UP to the town council for doing their job! bagus
Zefly
22) Piggy I hope you are just being sarcastic. If not I think you are missing the point. There are many ways to pluck a chicken. Like you said, there could be mosquitoes and rats and stuff, and the town council should be rightfully concerned. However, there is always the other way which is to have a talk with the folks who planted the herbs, and see what they can do to ensure the place is not poorly kept, and is free from pests.
Imagine if you were the one who had invested 20 years of your life tending to those herbs and you woke up one day and they are gone. How would you feel? A little empathy goes a long way. :)
Botanists describe an herb as a small, seed bearing plant with fleshy, rather than woody, parts (from which we get the term “herbaceous”). Herbs are valued for their flavor, fragrance, medicinal and healthful qualities, economic and industrial uses, pesticidal properties, and coloring materials (dyes).”
Sounds Like Public Rape of a Herb Garden
What a “cluster of poorly, unmaintained planting to me” to writer No. 22) piggy13 can be a priceless work of art, science, home-economics, geography and history to these residents who have grown it for 21 years.
Further – a herb doesn’t grow into a tall tree so don’t worry and just relax lah!
Don’t get so worked up over a plant! oops herbs. Don’t think rats or rodents or even mosquitoes. Think positive and think TC – TEAM COMMUNITY
To your statement “thumbs UP to the town council for doing their job! bagus” it sounds like public rape of a herb garden – 21 years of love and tender care – raped publicly by a one night stand done in broad daylight.
People have feeling – esp. the elderly who are more emotionally attached. Does the Town Council have any feelings? Does the Zone D Residents’ Committee Members have any feeling? We have much affective divide? Don’t create more!
Heal the hurts and soothe the pain. Time to use these organic herbs for some medicine!
sarek_home
Hi Pigg13,
This 21 years old herb garden is a strong testimony of living kampong spirit demonstrated by the residents. 21 years of effort destroyed by RC management with no neighbouring spirit to communicate the matter with the residents.
Regarding your comment that pests, rats, mosquitoes could be breeded in such unhygienic condition, how do you come to this remark?
Regarding your comment that paying monthly s&cc to town council to maintain for u, how do you come to this remark that town council was maintaining the herb garden?
Where is that kampong spirit PAP talks so much about?
Rafiz
Hi All,
Thank you TOC for the follow up post. Here are short updates.
1) Mainstream Media – The CNA team did cover the issue but ran it only on Chinese News as I was the only interviewee that spoke in English. An evening chinese newspaper did run the story yesterday and had a photograph of the original garden before it was destroyed.
2) The TC estate and property manager gave me a call yesterday to help me explain their rationale. According to them the residents have been given from early October to save whatever they want. Howver, I have to stand firm that 20 days of notice doesn’t make sense for 20 years of work which the TC have all this while ignored. The most important thing is that the whole episode contradicts the active ageing message.
My stand is, Senior citizens’ corner is no solution to our ageing society where 1 in 12 is above 60. If we cannot emphatise with the generation who have toiled their youth and adulthood to make the Singapore that we know today, then it will be a sad situation when the baby boomers grow old in 20 years time. Then, the number of senior citizens will be much more. Do we really want to squeeze in senior citizen corners?
I don’t belive the existence of a’model of a ‘Perfect Society’. If anyone claims to say that the garden is an eyesore and poses health risks, My reply is, Many residents there have lived to a ripe old age and for 21 years have not regarded the garden as an eyesore. There are many many more social practices either influenced by culture, religion or simple habits that are irritating to some others. Do we go on an all out ’symphony of destruction’ on those too?
In any case, I’ll be meeting the TC manager, RC Chairman and Ms Lee Bee Wah tomorrow at 10pm. Will update accordingly.
Regards,
Rafiz
VH2006
Definition of Herb and piggy,
Tell me, is peppermint a herb? I saw peppermint among the “cluster of poorly, unmaintained planting”. Is it wise to engage in wilful destruction of edible plants while the country is trying to encourage citizens to care for the environment?
Anyway, had the TC properly investigated the claims of rodents before taking on such wasteful action? Where is the evidence? (Or is this the same as calling AVA to capture stray cats just because of a few complaints?) I think the residents have a right to know with the S & C they pay. What happen when there are rodents again after this destruction?
Above the cloud
Maybe the action taken by the Town Council is effect of losing money from the Lehman Brothers investment. .. hehe
“SINGAPORE : The sinking funds under all 14 PAP—managed town councils are safe and not significantly affected by the failed Lehman Brothers products.
ADVERTISEMENT
Town councils said only a small percentage of their total investments were spent on those affected products.
Town councils use their individual sinking funds to carry works such as repairing damages at HDB (Housing & Development Board) common areas or maintaining an HDB elevator.
Every PAP town council has between S$30 million and S$150 million in their sinking funds.
Under current guidelines, each town council can use 65 per cent of their sinking funds to invest in government bonds, while up to 35 per cent can be invested in other financial instruments like corporate bonds and equities.
Although some of the town councils have purchased Lehman Brothers—linked products, the investments are minimal.
“Maybe a couple of percentage out of the total investment portfolio (were used in those investments), so the exposure will not affect the overall investment portfolio or the sinking funds per se. There’s definitely no fear that any of the PAP town councils’ sinking funds will be wiped out. All the supporting PAP town councils’ sinking funds are in safe hands,” assured Dr Teo Ho Pin, Coordinating Chairman of the 14 PAP Town Councils. He is also the mayor of North West District.
For Jurong Town Council, it has not invested in any Lehman—linked products, but explains that it only spends about 18 per cent or S$15 million of its S$84 million sinking funds in slightly riskier products.
Even then, that investment guarantees the principal amount.
“The position that we’ve taken is really to be very cautious with our investments because we’re very clear that these are public funds, and therefore we decided to err on the side of being conservative in our investment policy. The public do not have to worry… there will not be enough funds in order to take care of their needs,” said Jurong MP Halimah Yacob.
Many agree the current financial turmoil has taught the town councils that they should further diversify their investments in the future.
Going forward, town councils are expected to exercise even greater prudence when investing their sinking funds. But it’s hoped that they will still be able to get up to 4 per cent of returns on their investments annually.
As for the other two town councils managed by opposition MPs, both said they do not have any investments related to the Lehman Brothers products, so their sinking funds are not affected by the failed financial instruments.
The two town councils are Potong Pasir and Hougang.
Potong Pasir has S$6 million worth of sinking funds. The constituency’s MP Chiam See Tong told Channel NewsAsia that S$3 million is spent on government bonds like LTA bonds, while the other half is in the fixed deposit.”
Singapore Resident
>>.. Town Council and the RC do indeed welcome all interested residents to join the Community-In-Bloom garden..
Er…got Community_investment club bo?….giving tips on investing in minibonds etc.
Observer (SG-HK)
I believe the sadness is not so much of the destruction of the herbs garden, more so are the amount of effort (21 years of it), the rarely seen Community Camaraderie (in these days where people are mostly gears towards materialism and with very selfish mindset). Even the compassion is lacking. How sad can this be? Very, indeed.
Even if now they are willing to allow the replanitng, the fact that 21 years of warmth and care not only to the plants but within the community who lives in is not going to be the same. The fact that there will always be people who do not appreciate nature (well, by and large most uncompassionate people falls into this category). People who think the TC has done the right thing because they felt it is unhygenic but they failed to realize the toxicity of chemical additives in the modern day packaging of products could be 10 times as unhygenically produced (just that they did not have the chance to witness how the process is done).
Pig is suppposedly quite an intelligent animal although can be quite unhygenic right? May be when you add a twist to this name who can sniff out the most expansive truffles in the world , the bad genes are all left behind for the hybrid. That could be the reason why the mindset is also twisted. Bu tI guess we live in world where we try to advocate freedom of speech and expression, we have to accept other alternative views even if it seemed uncaring coming from a human or hybrid?.
pJ
To sarek_home on October 28th 2008 9.06am:
Are you kidding? RCs and so-called “grassroots leaders” are in it for one reason: to curry favour and hope to rub shoulders with MPs. They all want to become PBMs during National Day. And the MPs need them to do all the bo-liao things like organising community events, mobilising residents for community functions and spreading nation-building messages to their residents. In reality, MPs are quite beholden to grassroots leaders and RCs; these are the foot soldiers and farmers for the MPs. Because of their “symbiotic” relationship, complaining to MPs wont make a difference. On the other hand, how the RCs and grassroots “leaders” behave is a reflection of the MPs.
Kimchi Queen
Come on, give them a break lah. Afterall, it’s not really a case of “wake up in the morning and everything’s gone”. That’s really abit stretching it, IMHO – I feel that TC already did what they could, with advance notice too.
I think the sad fact is that the TC people were given the impression that the old folks didn’t want the garden anyway, especially with rats now and all. You know how some of us are like…. for some reason we don’t dare to voice our real views face-to-face, so how do we expect people to fully understand us?
Foodie
Sorry I can’t help but feel it’s just too exaggerated to say that the removal of a garden will destroy the kampong spirit over there. If people are willing, they can still bond over a game of chess at the void deck or over a simple potluck meal. Or even at one of those block parties or what not. A garden alone does not make a community.
Just my honest, neutral opinion.
Matured Mind
Why put blame on LBW. Seem she is the scape goat for whatever reasons. I have seen long Queque every Thurs at the meet-the people-session waiting to get their free food packages. I believes she is doing her best giving out to the needy but people usually take as granted.
I am not sure, those foods are donated or she pays for it. This shows she cares.
sarek_home
Two herb gardens, two different fate?
January 24, 2009 Saturday
Boon Lay’s ‘herb whisperer’
http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_330108.html
MS LUCY Teo, 66, may be a wizard in the kitchen, but to many in Boon Lay constituency, she is better known as their ‘herb whisperer’.
The clinic receptionist can be found each evening lovingly tending to her 40m by 5m garden plot behind Block 211, where she lives.
The residents should go directly to the MP, that is the only way to get the TC and RC people to pay attention.
It just show that the so called RC, grassroots leaders don’t really communicate with the residents they are supposed to represent.