Letter from Png Eng Huat, Straits Times 17 Jan 08;
VALUE OF HISTORICAL BUILDINGS: Historical buildings and landmarks may be expensive to conserve but they add immeasurable value to our heritage and culture over time.
I REFER to the article, 'Be like Italy - aim for a cultural renaissance' (ST, Jan 12).
Living in a country that places economic growth above everything else, it is interesting to read that Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew now hopes to see a cultural renaissance in Singapore in 10 to 15 years.
For a start, keeping our brick-and-mortar heritage alive could be a good investment for a cultural renaissance.
The Government should not equate conserving historical buildings and landmarks with plain economics. These old structures may be expensive to conserve but they add immeasurable value to our heritage and culture over time.
I always wonder why the Raffles City complex, which could have been built anywhere in town, had to occupy the grounds of Raffles Institution, a school founded by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1823. One would sense a feeling of loss rather than awe looking at an inconspicuous plaque which now marks the historical site.
Similarly, the SMRT headquarters could have been located anywhere in Singapore but it had to eat into the historical site of the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus in Victoria Street, a school founded by early missionaries in 1852.
The fact that the Government did not even blink an eye to the destruction of such important historical sites could lead one to infer that conservation is definitely not a priority in Singapore.
When such old buildings and structures disappear, it may be difficult for a cultural renaissance to take root in Singapore.
The Renaissance era that defined 14th- to 16th-century Europe encompassed a cobweb of intellectual and artistic movements. The renaissance covered not only achievements in the cultural arena but also in areas like politics, religion and social life.
Thus, a cultural renaissance by itself may not happen in a society without any corresponding changes in the sociopolitical scene. The ramification of a cultural transformation has wide-reaching influence on all aspects of life in a society.
The question then is will the Government allow such a renaissance to take place? When such a situation arises, I am afraid 'out of bounds' markers will pop up like clockwork to put the strays back into their places.
Where does that leave us? We will probably end up with a pseudo-cultural renaissance that is engineered to perfection but lacking in depth and substance.
