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.

I am not sure, those foods are donated or she pays for it. This shows she cares.

Just my honest, neutral opinion.

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?

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.

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?.

Er…got Community_investment club bo?….giving tips on investing in minibonds etc.

“SINGAPORE : The sinking funds under all 14 PAP—managed town councils are safe and not significantly affected by the failed Lehman Brothers products.
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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.”

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?

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

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?

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!

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. :)

Anyway, they will restore the garden and invite the MP to officiate the opening so as to score political points.