Government agencies 'may need to engage public sooner over projects'

Royston Sim Straits Times 18 Jul 11;

IF THE recent Maplewoods episode is anything to go by, government agencies may need to engage the public sooner rather than later when it comes to major rail and road construction projects, say some MPs and political observers.

They noted that Singaporeans are now more vocal and, with the rise of social networking, are able to quickly drum up support from like-minded people.

Residents, they said, expect to be engaged and consulted before construction works begin, not informed when no changes can be made.

Nee Soon GRC MP Lim Wee Kiak said government agencies will now have to show they are more open to suggestions and consultation. Said the former chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee on Transport: 'What people don't want is to hear that a project is already fixed and nothing can be changed.

'They want to see the authorities engaging them from the planning phase, and I urge government agencies to be more flexible and open. Some good ideas can come out of residents' suggestions.'

Residents at Maplewoods, a Bukit Timah Road condominium, found out in May that a launch shaft - a giant hole in which tunnel boring machines are inserted - would be sited outside their estate as part of the King Albert Park MRT station worksite.

They protested, and called for the shaft be relocated, citing concerns about pedestrian and traffic safety.

Work was halted as Land Transport Authority (LTA) officials sought to address their concerns. Dialogues were held, in which residents made known their unhappiness loudly.

Last week, the residents were told by Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Vivian Balakrishnan that work had to resume, and that LTA had sufficiently addressed their safety concerns. After a month's delay, work restarted last Friday.

Earlier this year, condominium residents along Yio Chu Kang Road also protested after the LTA revealed the northern alignment of the North-South Expressway (NSE). Residents from Castle Green and Nuovo condos have submitted appeals to request the semi-tunnel portion of the NSE running by their homes be changed to a closed tunnel.

Mr Charles Chong, MP for Joo Chiat, said the Maplewoods episode is something that will likely be repeated by other groups of residents as the Government continues to expand its rail and road network. He observed that as people become increasingly articulate, more have come forward to express their views.

MRT works could pass through his ward when the Eastern Region Line is built, and he hopes the LTA will engage residents early. 'They may not be able to please everybody, but they should show that they have tried their best to eliminate any nightmares,' he said.

Dr Lim expects more protests to arise when the LTA reveals the southern alignment of the NSE, which will pass through densely built-up areas.

Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng said people's expectations that they will be listened to have increased after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a speech at the swearing-in of his new Cabinet in May that the Government would engage all segments of society.

Former Nominated MP Zulkifli Baharudin agreed, saying more people are coming forward as the Government strives to make itself more accessible.

Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser of the National University of Singapore's sociology department said the Maplewoods episode suggests a new form of relationship and engagement between the Government and the public, that it is 'no longer business as usual'.

But political analyst Derek da Cunha cautioned against linking the Maplewoods episode to a more emboldened electorate : 'Here, you had people in a private residential estate standing up for themselves when their interests were directly impacted. There is nothing unusual about that.'

But, he added, with the planned NSE and Downtown Line 3 going through heavily built-up areas, including private estates, more of such episodes can be expected.