Friday, August 19, 2011

Redeveloping Geylang Serai

I am quite disappointed to learn of the plans to redevelop Geylang Serai. I think we should work to preserve places of rich culture and tradition in Singapore rather than redeveloping them. True, after redevelopment, we would be having comfortable air-conditioned history galleries and a neater showcase of cultural and traditional items.
However it is quite inevitable that some intrinsic aspects of tradition and culture may not be preserved during redevelopment. When we talk about preserving heritage and culture, we should know that we are preserving processes and the way of life. Redevelopment is another process and housing familar traditions and cultures in another settings will not totally preserving traditions and cultures. An example is the interactions of the common people in the existing Geylang Serai area. When we have a new area under redevelopment, these interactions, under a new environment will not be the same.

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