The New Paper 6 Jul 08;
A SMALL stump was all that was left of the 17-year-old mango tree outside
Mr Gabriel Tan's shop last evening.
That, and a few mangoes that Mr Tan took as a last offering from the tree he tried to save.
It marked the end of a long-running fight between the Simpang Bedok shopkeeper and the management committee (MC) of Bedok Shopping Complex, which run the estate.
Mr Tan, 52, wanted to save the tree but the MC wanted to cut it after a complaint from a nearby private house owner that the tree's leaves were falling into his backyard.
For about six weeks, there was tension between the parties, and the police had to be called in more than once to try to mediate.
Mr Tan's stand was that the MC - made up of owners elected at the annual general meeting - had not given a good reason to cut the tree.
But after three unsuccessful attempts to fell the tree, the MC was back to get the job done the fourth time.
Around 2.30pm yesterday, a contractor arrived with four workers. Immediately, Mr Tan and his faithful supporter Mr Kwek Khan Che, 53, who owns a drink stall in the area, stepped past the barricades, which had reportedly been erected on Wednesday night, and stood beneath the tree side by side.
They held determined looks on their faces that indicated that they were not budging.
But the work began, despite their presence.
A worker climbed up the tree and began sawing the higher branches, which tumbled in all directions around Mr Tan and Mr Kwek.
Almost immediately, the home owner who had complained about the falling leaves - retiree Peter Syddall, 73 - came out to stand under the tree as well.
Mr Syddall, a resident there for four years, did not want the tree cut, and said he was worried about how the cutting was being done.
He said: 'The branches are near the power line. What happens if the branches fall on my roof or the power lines?' he asked.
Seeing the three men under the tree, the estate's managing agent known only as Mr Samy, who had appeared shortly after the workers started work, was visibly upset.
Mr Samy, who declined to speak to The New Paper, repeatedly demanded that the men step outside the barricades.
He warned them that he would not be liable for anything that may happen to them while they were below the tree.
Even as the worker was sawing away, Mr Tan was still trying to defend the tree by asking for the minutes of the MC meeting during which the cutting of the tree was decided.
He called the police when his request was ignored.
At 2.45pm, three police officers arrived and the cutting stopped for a while. They managed to coax the men to leave the foot of the tree.
Mr Syddall went home, but was looking out from his second-floor window.
Acting as mediators, the policemen listened to what Mr Samy and Mr Tan had to say.
Mr Samy showed Mr Tan some documents and told him not to challenge the management on technicalities. Shortly after, he walked away and Mr Tan turned to a policeman and said: 'He has not given me the proper answers'.
To that, Mr Samy said: 'His (Mr Tan's) intention is not to cooperate with us.'
Then, as parts of the tree came down in loud heavy thuds, tenants, customers and domestic helpers from the neighbouring homes started searching through the fallen leaves and branches for fruit. There were enough mangoes on the ground to fill a supermarket basket.
A few people were spotted leaving with an armful of mangoes. The workers kept some for themselves, and Mr Tan was given a few.
'These are the last fruits of the tree,' Mr Tan said. 'I feel like I have lost something. I was expecting the tree to come down, but I was hoping for a miracle'.
By 5.30pm, the trunk crashed to the ground.
Although the dispute over the tree was a bitter one, one good thing came out of it.
Mr Tan said: 'Before this, I didn't know Mr Kwek; I just recognised him by face. Because of this incident, I got to make new friends who shared a common cause.'
Mr Syddall agreed: 'Before this incident, I didn't know anyone here.'
- By Shila Naidu, newsroom intern
