'Terribly distasteful': Tampines resident urges removal of 'war-like' plane designs on block, MP Baey Yam Keng responds

This means war - or at least that's what this resident thinks of the design theme of a neighbourhood in Tampines.

A resident there has urged the Tampines Town Council to remove a "warplane" design at Tampines N4 Neighbourhood Centre, according to a Facebook post by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment Baey Yam Keng on Thursday (July 4).

"Even though this is the only resident who gave negative feedback, I took it seriously," said Baey, who is the MP for Tampines Group Representation Constituency. 

Baey stated that the resident emailed their town council to complain about the repainted blocks, claiming that it was an "attempt to disguise warplanes".

In screengrabs of the email sent, the resident called for the design to be reworked, "as it is terribly distasteful" and in "bad and poor taste".

Likening the design to ongoing wars such as the Russia-Ukraine and Gaza-Palestine conflicts, the resident claimed that it "trivialises the severity of global conflicts we face today, suggesting that war and hitting targets are merely a game".

Even after the town council explained their position twice, the resident still did not accept it and demanded the design to be changed or erased, Baey wrote on his post.

"After discussing with the town council, checking with some residents and grassroots leaders, and thinking through it, I support the town council's decision to stick to the original design concept," he asserted.

Baey also said that this design is part of the series of "nostalgia themes" used to paint blocks in Tampines North.

So far, they have taken inspiration from the TV test pattern, Tingkat, cassette tape and Polaroid camera, while this particular design is inspired by the childhood Aeroplane Chess boardgame, which is similar to the Ludo game.

Additionally, some 80 per cent of the households there voted for the board game designs, meaning the majority of residents didn't have an issue with the it.

"It would not be fair to the majority to change the design now," Baey said. "I understand that the resident was not involved with the voting as he does not live in this cluster of blocks."

The residents also paid for these painting works to begin with, and it would not be a good use of residents' money to change something that was already chosen by them, Baey explained.

He added: "I have just explained to the resident and hope that he would understand our position."

'Flat has a bloody red reflection', another resident says

The theme, however, also has its faults, and Baey readily addresses these in his post.

"Another resident who lives in N4 emailed me sharing that his flat has a bloody red reflection from the gable end wall of a neighbouring block which is painted in red," he stated. 

"The town council also received similar feedback from other residents staying in the same stack."

Because the design isn't just in red, but also in green, blue and yellow, Baey said that other residents have also reported being affected by green reflections as well.

After reviewing this with the painting contractor, both the gable end walls will be repainted mainly in white, with the side beams in red and green respectively, Baey said.

He explained: "I am sharing this to illustrate the principles guiding Tampines Town Council on what they are able and unable to do regarding residents' feedback."

'Nobody ever thought it could be linked to war': Baey

Speaking with AsiaOne, Baey shared that the complainant had reached out to the town council about one to two months ago, and he was kept in the loop. 

Recalling his reaction to the email, he said that it had made him wonder if this complaint was a more common view than expected, because the resident had mentioned that "a few residents felt the same".

"So I went around the neighbourhood talking to residents and shopkeepers… nobody expressed any views about it," he said. "Nobody ever thought that it could be linked to war or fighter jets."

Whenever a complaint reaches his desk, Baey said he will take steps to understand it.

If it's something complicated, he would require the agency - the town council, in this case - to explain their stance to him.

"I would either stand by the agency because I'm convinced by their position or their answer, or if I'm not… I would push the agency to make changes and reply to the resident," he also said.

"Yesterday, I emailed [the complainant] to share our considerations and to seek his understanding," he stated. Baey said he has not received a response from the resident as of Friday morning. 

Samsui woman mural

This complaint comes amid discourse regarding a mural on the wall of a conserved shophouse at 297 South Bridge Road, which depicts a samsui woman holding a lit cigarette.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) cited an anonymous source that complained the woman depicted "looks more like a prostitute than a hard-working samsui woman" and was "offensive", and that the mural was "not aligned with Singapore's anti-smoking policy", The Straits Times reported in June.

This elicited discussion online about the mural and the URA's order to remove the cigarette from the mural has since been put on hold.

"After consultation with local stakeholders and relevant agencies, the proposal was not supported as the depiction of smoking on the unauthorised mural is not aligned with Singapore’s anti-smoking policy," said URA, according to CNA in June.

"In light of recent public feedback, URA is re-evaluating its stance on the mural."

"It's not an advertisement, endorsement or encouragement to smoke," the artist, Sean Dunston, said in a post on Instagram at the end of June.

"I smoked for 20 years, quit in 2010, and I won't start again no matter how close to this mural I was or how many hours I spent in front of it."

ALSO READ: Singaporeans spooked by eerie red-themed HDB lift lobby, one says her daughter dares not take lift alone

khooyihang@asiaone.com

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