Trail Blog Final Reflection - Faezah

a) What was your impression of Singapore history and cultural heritage before going on the trail?

b) How has your experience of the trail changed your perception of Singapore history and her cultural heritage?

c) Share some insights (if any) about Singapore's past and the way it is represented (symbolically and physically) that you have gained from the trail. 

Having left secondary school for a long time, I left my knowledge on Singapore's History with my History teacher. So, embarking on this journey brings back some vague memory about the Battle.

The first thing that strikes me was the difficulty we encountered in locating the markers. In difficulty, I am referring to the discovery of the exact spot of the markers at the sites, and their accessibility. Before starting our journey to visit the markers, my group members and I “Googled” for the markers so as to ensure that they were present and where they were situated at the corresponding sites. However, I was wrong. We arrived at the site, with the aim in mind, yet we missed it. We had 5 pairs of eyes looking for it, yet we missed it. We combed the area again, looking more meticulously, then, we found it. Just from this incident, it made me realise that even though, there are markers around, one would miss it even if it were there. If no one notices the marker, no one actually take the time to appreciate and understand the importance of those markers - the commemoration of those who actually laid down their lives for our country.

There are some markers that we could not even find at the sites despite having the proper addresses. One example is the Woodlands Causeway marker. It is located along the stretch of road called Woodlands Waterfront. We had searched for it on one end of the road but it was located on the other end. This leads me to my next concern, the inaccessibility of these sites. Referring to the Woodlands Causeway marker, it is hard to imagine being on foot from one end of the road to the other to search for the marker. I cannot imagine myself doing it without having my own personal vehicle. Furthermore, there is no public transport that we saw passing through that stretch of road.

Another example that I would like to bring to attention is the Sarimbun site. There are public buses that led to the main road. However, the marker that is was located deep inside a side road. Even though, we went in a car, the road condition is bad. My concern was if these markers are so hard to reach, how can we expect schools and families to take a trip down to teach the young about our local history? If this is so, teaching our history will mostly remain at home and in the schools. This will make it even harder to bring history to life for the children.

Some of the markers were not well taken care of, for example, the marker located at Woodlands Causeway.  Since this marker marks an important part of Singapore’s history during the World War 2 Battle, I question the intention of putting up the markers. Is the marker placed there just for the sake of marking something or it is meant to truly remember the lives of those who tried their best, and even laying down their lives to protect the nation?  Does this marker mean nothing to the people of Singapore?

Having gone through the journey, I used to believe that the Government had done more than enough to ensure that as a nation we honor the lives of our war heroes and remember war events, especially, in textbooks and in museums. I am wrong. The textbooks talk about the dominant narratives and the markers that are found mimic those. The other narratives, such as the Australian armies and Indian Army who played a part in defending Singapore, were missing or became just a little foot note.  In Singapore, where many narratives are difficult to attain, many of the defenders of Singapore who are not “visible” are left out. But, we owe each and every one of the defenders a huge thank you for helping us to defend Singapore despite not being a Singaporean. This is something that we can do to increase our awareness on our history – the inclusion of multiple perspectives of every community so that we can have a “well – rounded” standard narrative.