Kampong Lorong Buangkok is mainland Singapore’s last remaining kampong, and still exists (for now) off Gerald Drive.

Spanning an area the size of about three football fields, the kampong is slated to make way for a major road and two schools in future. Redevelopment plans were first made known in a 1998 Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) Masterplan.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Screenshot from Sunny Side SG‘s video[/caption]

Member of Parliament (MP) calls for its preservation

In a Parliament sitting on Oct. 2, MP Intan Azura Mokhtar called for the kampong to be preserved as a conservation or heritage education site. She explained that it can add value to the area's existing environment:

"Surely we can explore ways where the kampong can co-exist and, in fact, enhance and bring value to urban life."

She also suggested that the kampong could be integrated within two schools that were being planned for the area, and that the kampong grounds could be used for overnight camps in future.

"The kampong and its residents should be allowed to carry on their lives, but it can play the additional role of a community living lab, for our students to learn about our shared history, culture and traditions, race relations, and experience for themselves values-in-action such as communal living, the spirit of neighbourliness and community activism."

Responding to Intan's call in Parliament, Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said that while the government has made plans to develop the area, these will not be implemented in the near future.

News on this issue has drawn quite a lot of reactions from netizens online.

More schools?

Firstly, some netizens were unhappy that the government had planned to build more schools:

However, one explained that merged schools were mostly in mature estates, and building of new schools catered to different areas:

For preservation

The discussion about more schools aside, many shared Intan's sentiment that the kampong was a valuable part of Singapore's heritage that needed to be preserved.

After all, it is a place where future generations can get a precious glimpse into what life was like in Singapore’s past:

Many also commented on the heritage value of the place, stating that kampongs are part of our history:

And if a heritage place like our last kampong is not preserved, Singapore will become "cold and unfriendly":

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Against the building of replicas

Some netizens speculated that the kampong might be torn down only for a replica to be built in its place, like the Geylang Serai Malay Village (which was eventually demolished in 2012).

And if this was done to Kampong Lorong Buangkok, the essence of the place might be lost.

The fate of Kampong Lorong Buangkok hangs in the balance.

Top photo adapted from screenshot from Sunny Side SG‘s video

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