Look For The Real Value Before The Heritage Is Lost

By Andy HO in MY VIEW

The Straits Times 25 Nov 2001

  "Gratitude is the attitude that sets the latitude for living.

  "And some say we need to be more grateful for our heritage - because it has an intrinsic value beyond its instrumental value.

  "One's heritage is part of the whole that makes us flourish as human beings with various aesthetic and cultural experiences.

  "Ground-breaking for a spanking new 10-storey library along Victoria Street took place recently, which will replace the old National Library on Stamford Road.

  "Saddened fans say conservation is necessary to nurture a sense of what people are. They say that one's cultural heritage includes not just stunningly beautiful things that may have little immediate or strong connection to any particular group, but also tangibles that may well have no intrinsic beauty but serve a valuable cultural purpose.

  "Conservationists lament that heritage is downplayed too easily and new-fangled things plaster over humbler origins. We uproot and displace the early settlers' memorial stone and the Merdeka Lions from their original Collyer Quay and Merdeka Bridge sites respectively.

  "Then there is Eu Court, Raffles Institution and the National Theatre.

  "And now a tunnel to smooth traffic flow is chosen over the rich collective memory and shared identity embodied in the National Library building. When it is demolished, a plaque will surely be erected in its place "to bring back the memories".

  "But will it? For many, the National Library is drenched in heavy symbolism of a personal and communal species. Just as individuals flourish within cultures, so cultures must develop in reaction to human changes. 

  "...The National Library building is not ugly: It is real for many who grew up with it. You just have to be grateful to understand that."