chekjawa

The January issue of the Ridge (NUS student newsletter) was just released a couple of days ago (sometimes bureaucratic red tape can hold things behind time, but this, I have to say, is bordering on the edge of absurdity- Jan issue out on Feb 14. When will the Feb issue be off the press then?) I must say that the cover page is the best that I have ever seen compared to the previous few issues which really degrades the image of the society- often, it looked like a shoddy piece of work that was thrown together for the sake of meeting the dateline. The feature story was the controversial place of Chek Jawa at Pulau Ubin. The view that was captured was amazingly eye catching and the rawness of the view encompassing the glittering sunrays reflected against the waters and the silhouettes of teh trees afar really took my breath away.

Of course, just like any natural place in Singapore, the only flaw, a big one at that, that was immediately noticable was the presence of mankind. Within the small frame of the viewfinder, it managed to capture over 20 human figures; imagine looking at the bigger, real picture. Men waddling at every spot possible, kids and adults alike with their heads down, waiting to find the slightest hint of a starfish hidden under the mud/sand bed so that they could point out to their companions. Who knows what they'll do to that poor little creature caught *god-forbid* Everyone seems to be more contented looking for the colourful discoveries and the secrets that this lil' swamp holds since it was famously made known to the public by a local tabloid. And it certainly doesn't help that the pictures were published in full and bright resolutions, making everyone resolute to grab a piece of Mother Nature.

Credit must go to the government this time for being quick on their feet and imposing restrictions to those who have been dying to trample upon (or euphemistically, leaving their footprints behind) Mother Nature's last few bits of land in Singapore. Now, the intruders can only go with a ranger as a guide and at certain times of the day. This will help the ol' star fish breathe a little easier.

It's just so typical of Singaporeans to want to explore every little bit of natural Singapore that has just been discovered. Think of the supposed magical hot spring at Choa Chu Kang. Worse, look at Bukit Timah Hill- its roads strewn with litter which can be hazardous to wildlife but no one cares. Concrete Singapore has made its citizen grow to learn to grab the share of the pie for oneself than to love and treasure nature and leave it alone-- they MUST (or it'll be a sore point of their life) seize a piece of nature, bring it home, boast it like their personal truimph. No, they simply can't leave places visited without a souvenir- never mind technically, it ain't really a souvenir. Yet, they think little of how they discard the thing/creature after its glam period and never stop to think that the piece of nature will forever be gone, just because of their folly, their selfish need and want to own Nature. *Fortunately, natural areas like Yellowstone Park and the Grand Canyon are out of reach to most, and even if one manages to reach those scenic areas, they are too afraid that they'll be prosecuted under American laws for plucking flowers to harm those places. Thank goodness.*

If I was lucky enough to be there or be assistants to the photographer of that very picture, I would probably be spending my time wandering around, breathing in the fresh air and admiring the breath-taking sunset than to look out for the lil' sea creatures (admittedly, becoming a lousy assistant). Not that I don't appreciate the water creatures but I would prefer to leave them to their own comfort, their sanctuaries, allowing to crawl at their own pace, than to be one of the unruly intruders, who disrupt their orderly living methods.

Kai 2002

Note: On hindsight, it seems as if the boatmen ferrying people to Pulau Ubin would profit most out of these deals.