'What about Maju Forest?' Commenters ask after PM Wong says Singapore's vision is to become a city of nature

SINGAPORE: In this year’s National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 23), Prime Minister Lawrence Wong acknowledged the space limitations in Singapore, underlining that every piece of land matters.

As much as the green spaces are “cherished” in the city-state, “sometimes difficult choices and trade-offs have to be made,” he said, assuring Singaporeans that the impact of development is carefully studied to minimise disruptions.

He went on to announce plans to merge several of Singapore’s outer islands into one larger island, just like what was done in creating Jurong Island, now a global energy and chemicals hub. These plans will unfold in the coming decades.

In this context, PM Wong said, “Today, nearly half of Singapore is covered in greenery. And we are not stopping here. We are expanding our green spaces. We are strengthening our native biodiversity. And as temperatures rise around the world, our greenery helps keep our city cooler and more liveable. Our pioneers set out to build a Garden City. Now, we are taking that vision further – to become a City in Nature.”

The Maju Forest issue

This is not a new concept, as the government has been talking about its push to make Singapore a City in Nature for some years now.

However, perhaps due to the concerns raised by many about Maju Forest, this part of the Prime Minister’s speech gave rise to many comments.

Last month, it was announced that Gillman Barracks and Sunset Way were slated for development for housing, with around 15 hectares of  Maju Forest and at least 10 hectares of forest at Gillman Barracks. Since then, however, questions regarding deforestation have been raised by residents and Members of Parliament.

On Aug 16, more than 2,000 people attended the Maju For The People Rally at Hong Lim Park. The event, organised by SG Climate Rally, called for the protection of Singapore’s nature areas, for greater transparency and a say in decisions concerning related issues, and redefining progress in terms of wellbeing and fairness, and not merely as economic progress.

What Singaporeans are saying

While the Prime Minister did not mention Maju Forest in his speech, many commenters online brought it up.

“After the Maju episode, now want to be city of green?” asked one.

Another wrote, “Prove it to us by not destroying Maju Forest.”

A netizen simply commented, “Yet clearing forests.”

“So Maju Forest isn't part of nature?” another asked.

“Let Maju Forest remain intact,” a netizen added, while another observed, “Maju Forest becomes Maju BTO.”

“Clear the forest but paint the bus green. City of nature indeed,” a commenter wrote.

“Greenery includes trees on road dividers and roadside bushes and interstitial spaces. All good but nothing like a diverse forest ecosystem. That qualitative difference is left out in the discussion,” another chimed in. /TISG

Read also: PSP: Debate over Maju Forest is not just about housing. It’s also about how decisions are made.