By Sara Grosse, Channel NewsAsia, 1 Sep 2013
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said the strong community spirit present in kampongs should still be maintained today for Singapore to do well.
Mr Lee made these comments at a book launch, specially held for former residents of Kampong Radin Mas.
Kampong Radin Mas is believed to be among the oldest villages in Singapore.
While it was the birth place to many Malay-Muslim institutions, Mr Lee said it also produced leaders who made important contributions in politics, as well as in arts and culture.
He asked: "How did Radin Mas produce so many talented people? Some people said it's because of the 'air pancur' - the spring water, which flowed from Mount Faber to the kampong. Others said maybe it was the ice ball kacang, or the kuti kuti and the kana. All the sights and sounds and colours and activities of the old kampong.
"But everybody agrees that the 'gotong royong' spirit had a lot to do with it, where people help one another, where everybody knew everyone else and each spurred the other to go on and do their best.
"Even today, when we are in HDB flats - much bigger towns, not a few hundred people, but hundred thousand people perhaps - it's still necessary for us to maintain that strong community spirit for us to do well."
The book "A Village Remembered: Kampong Radin Mas 1800s To 1973" documents life in Radin Mas village before it was demolished in 1973 to make way for a satellite town.
The book recounts the origins of the village, famous landmarks in Radin Mas and even has some ghost stories. It also gives some examples of how the community worked together.
Former Minister of Social Affairs Othman Wok said: "I remember this old man. He used to come to sell things in the kampong and one day after the rain, he slipped and fell down. All his things went all over the place. So the people laughed. They thought it was very funny. But not my mother - she came down and helped the hawker to take all his things, wash everything, and he was very grateful."The government said one way the community spirit can be re-invented today is through common amenities.
Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, said: "I think this is something for us to think about as we go forward, as we build the new Singapore.
"How do we build communities is an important point as we bring people together. I suppose HDB, our land agencies, would have to think about it very carefully. It is nice to build nice buildings, but I think it is also the facilities which are important, where people can come and congregate."
The book is based on historical documents and interviews with former and current residents.
Kampung Radin Mas comes alive in new book
By Kash Cheong, The Straits Times, 26 Aug 2013
By Kash Cheong, The Straits Times, 26 Aug 2013
During a Hari Raya gathering two years ago, former residents of Kampung Radin Mas who had not seen one another for 40 years met up and found something they thought had disappeared - the kampung spirit.
"It was an emotional gathering," said one of the ex-residents, 75-year-old Wan Hussin Zoohri. "Residents were greeting one another like it was on Friday and there was still a spirit of togetherness...
"It would be a waste if we did not capture the spirit and memories of this kampung."
The reunion inspired the former Aljunied GRC MP and three other ex-residents to produce a book to document life in the Radin Mas village at the foothills of Mount Faber.
On Friday, A Village Remembered: Kampong Radin Mas 1800s To 1973 was launched, giving readers a glimpse of life in the Malay kampung before it was demolished in 1973 to make way for a satellite town.
The 248-page book is based on historical documents and interviews with more than 80 former and current residents.
It is an "important document" for it provides today's youth with "a window into the past" where the kampung spirit comes alive, said Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob at the launch.
The book recounts the origins of the village, how it was like under Japanese and colonial rule, famous landmarks in Kampung Radin Mas and even ghost sightings.
Stories also illustrate the community spirit at work, for instance, how wealthier villagers stepped forward to donate money to mosques and madrasahs.
"A resident told me that houses in the kampung were further but people were closer. Now houses are closer, but people are further," said the book's editor Ibrahim Tahir.
The coffee-table book is available for $80 at all major bookstores including Kinokuniya. Kampung Radin Mas residents will hold another Hari Raya gathering for about 600 people on Sept 1, when the book will be shown to the community.