In the end, it is the end

So the Angsana Tree at Braddell Road was hacked down on Sunday.

I was away over the weekend and on Monday, I had to go to Toa Payoh and took this picture:

*note the brakes engaged in the car ahead.

What took 80 years to grow, was felled down in one day.

When I wrote my letter to the forum, I wrote in knowing its fate was sealed.

The newspapers reported it on the 12th of July and it was to be taken down on the 15th of July.

When I visited the LTA website and read the press release dated the 11th of July (PDF copy), it was worded in such a way there was no room for discussion.

The time from release of information to the actual day of taking down the tree was five days – two of these days was the weekend when no reversal in decision would take place and of this, one day was the actual day for chopping down the tree.

On the 13th, a second follow up article appeared in The Straits Times (PDF copy): “No way to get drivers to slow down: LTA”. No letters of protest appeared in the forum.

On the 14th, three letters appear in the forum (PDF copy), one for the axe, two feebly trying to utter some protest.

On the 15th, the tree came down.

So this whole process felt very much like our Parliamentary sessions which I’ve stopped watching altogether.

This is usually the process:

• Government suggests some bill, modification to policy or whatever.
• Personality-less minister-in-charge stands up and tells Parliament why they’re doing this and so on.
• Even-less-personality-less minister of the same white-ie party stands up and attempts to poke holes in this new proposal – raising concerns of the people.
• Aforementioned personality-less minister-in-charge stands up and says we already considered all those points, I note your concerns, but they are silly and this is the best policy anyway that compromises on all the points.
• Opposition leaders in Parliament, if any, fumbling over their speech papers, mumble more protests. Their nervousness perhaps caused by fear of being brought to court.
• Same aforementioned personality-less minister-in-charge stands up and refutes opposition leader in likewise manner as stated above. However, since the person who brought it up is an opposition leader, some belittling remarks, jokes will be included for general enjoyment of the white-ies.
• Policy is implemented as-is.

The sad thing is that while Government gets to research, sit and debate. This decision to chop down the 80-year-old Angsana Tree was so fast, so swift and left no room for discussion.

Let’s put this in perspective.

• This tree is older than each of my parents by more than 10 years.
• This tree was alive in 1942, which, if memory serves me right, is World War II.
• This tree was around before Singapore gained its independence in 1965.

I have a story. It is of an old man. Oh let’s give him a name, for the fun of it. How about Lee Kuan Yew? He’s a hundred years old in this story, and despite jogging every morning and evening, his limbs are weak and feeble.

He lives in a housing estate where there are many old people. And at every 100 meters on the road are signs warning that the elderly are crossing the road and to please slow down.

But it’s a busy road, and motorists are driving faster than they should to get somewhere faster than they can.

To cross a three lane road will take our fictitious man, who shares the name of a real man, by length of time, three traffic light changes to get from kerb to kerb, not including dismounting and mounting the kerb on either side of the road.

Our man Lee steps off the kerb and onto a zebra crossing. On the furthest lanes, cars still zip past, not slowing down, perhaps not even noticing our hero.

As Lee crosses, some cars go around him, but they’re all whizzing past, not slowing down a beat. He shakes with each step, not from fear but frailty.

He’s been crossing this road like this for some years now. He knows the cars won’t stop. But he has to get across to get his kopi and Straits Times.

The LTA looks at this. What a waste. All their beautiful signs and glorious warnings will not stop the speeding motorist.

Who could they turn to? No, not the traffic police, who though able to set up speed traps and fine motorists for flouting the law, have so much on their hands.

LTA thinks, perhaps we can put a lift, but nah, that’s going to be too costly. Bridge? He can’t climb. Speed camera? No, no, we already said we’re leaving the traffic police out of this.

This old Lee, he’s old. Though he lives, his mind is not as sharp as it used to be. Plus, he’s not working, not contributing to the economy. Enjoying medical subsidies. Living off tax payers’ money.

Some big wig thinks, why don’t we solve the problem before some motorist gets hurt? Let’s chop his head off before someone bangs into him.

Old Lee has no time to react to the decision.

His friends cry in vain, but the time has come.

The big wigs nod.

The motorists nod.

Old Lee gets the chop.