Dear Friends,
The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) is, after all, the ministry entrusted with protecting Singapore’s environment.
Singaporeans therefore deserve to know what role MSE played in the government’s decision-making over the proposed clearance of Maju Forest.
Minister Grace Fu has spoken repeatedly about the need to make “trade-offs” and for ministries to take a coherent, whole-of-government approach.
But these important questions remain unanswered: What was MSE’s own position on clearing of forest land, and what did it bring to the table in discussion with other ministries?
Did MSE independently consult environmental specialists, conservation groups or other relevant stakeholders?
Did the ministry conduct or commission studies its own into the environmental consequences of the clearance?
Did it propose alternatives that could have reduced the loss of forested land?
And, most importantly, what advice did MSE give the Ministry of National Development before the Government arrived at its decision?
These are reasonable questions about public accountability, particularly when the future of one of Singapore’s remaining green spaces is at stake.
A whole-of-government position should not mean that the individual ministries involved no longer have to explain their stance, recommendations and the responsibilities they discharged.
MSE has a particular duty to demonstrate that environmental considerations were properly represented when competing priorities were weighed.
So far, Singaporeans have heard much about the need for development and “trade-offs”, but far less about what MSE itself did to protect the environmental value of Maju Forest, or explore alternatives for its clearance.
Instead, all we’ve heard is “trust me bro” statements, and snide jibes on opposition parliamentarians who question its role in the clearance of the forest.
That should concern us.
The Singapore Democratic Alliance therefore calls on MSE to make public, to the fullest extent possible, the environmental studies, consultations and recommendations that informed its position on Maju Forest.
If such assessments were carried out, releasing them would allow Singaporeans to better understand the Government’s decision and the “trade-offs” involved.
More importantly, it would demonstrate that the ministry responsible for sustainability and the environment is actively fulfilling its duty, and not simply acting as a rubber stamp.
We Common Singaporeans are the ones who will have to live with the impact of these decisions.
We should not have to take environmental protection on trust.
Desmond Lim
Chairman
Singapore Democratic Alliance
