Singaporeans urged to help shape their communities: REACH Contributors' Forum 2012

But responsibility also important, says Khaw

By Tessa Wong, The Straits Times, 3 May 2012

LOCAL constituencies may get the power to decide whether residents can keep certain kinds of pets in their Housing Board flats, as part of National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan's push to involve people more in shaping their communities.

Mr Khaw indicated he was open to the idea, while talking about a more responsible citizenry at a forum last night. If any MPs felt that their residents were ready for more relaxed rules on pet ownership in HDB flats, he said, 'I have no objection'.

But while he encouraged Singaporeans to play a greater role in developing their neighbourhoods, he noted that they had to act responsibly too.

'I'm generally for greater decentralisation, for some of these decisions to be made by local communities,' he said. 'But along with that, hopefully local communities can also mature... the more mature they are, the more they can take over this decision making.'

His comments came after the topic of 'co-creation' - where residents join the authorities in shaping a community - was raised during a 90-minute ministerial dialogue, which also involved Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Chan Chun Sing.

Some 200 participants got to talk to the two men at the annual Contributors' Forum organised by REACH, the government body tasked with collecting feedback.

Held at *SCAPE, the dialogue was hosted by REACH chairman Amy Khor, and touched on issues ranging from social equality to ethnic enclaves.

The issue of pet ownership came up after animal welfare activist Eunice Nah asked if the Government would do more to create pet-friendly community spaces. Mr Khaw, who has two dogs, replied that 'there is always space for pets and living things' in Singapore.

But he added a caveat: Residents must be responsible pet owners.

'So when you walk your dogs or your cats, make sure you clean up along the way, and don't transfer the problems to the cleaners or to your unhappy neighbours,' he said.

Mr Khaw said he made his own dogs wear pet diapers when he takes them out for walks.

HDB currently bans residents from keeping cats and certain types of dogs in their flats. A pilot project was started this year to allow stray cats to be kept in Chong Pang homes, but it also drew criticism from some quarters.

Indeed, one participant, Mr A. Mari Malai Maran, noted that he had faced some opposition from fellow residents when trying to manage his estate as the chairman of a condominium management committee.

Agreeing, Mr Khaw said people had to be mature when handling differing views among those involved. He also called on Singaporeans to get more involved in decisions regarding their communities, and cited several examples from overseas on how this could be done.

One was the development of Chicago's Millennium Park, which had been turned from a disused train depot into a major city attraction.

Mr Khaw described it as an example of a successful private-public partnership, and noted that local residents had done 'most of the heavy lifting' by pulling together firms, volunteer organisations and the municipal government to develop the park. 'The American spirit is that they don't look to the government... they look to themselves,' he said.

He suggested that various communities along Singapore's rail corridor project could have a say on how it should be developed.

Likewise, Mr Chan also urged citizens to be responsible in another aspect: political awareness.

After one participant mentioned the need for greater political awareness, Mr Chan said it was not about just participating in rallies during elections, but also being aware of Singapore's circumstances and context.

'In a complex society like ours, we need to know what are the tensions and the trade-offs within our society, and how we can come to a solution that all of us - or at least the majority of us - can identify with,' he said.

Singaporeans must also avoid the pitfall of becoming complacent after achieving success, he added. 'When we are successful, and we believe we are very successful, we get wrapped up in our own rhetoric, and sometimes we forget what are the larger forces in the world that are shaping our destiny.'