Nanyang Technological University s2

Nanyang Technological University National Institute of Education

Assignment: Oral History Assignment + Additional Transcript

Name: Seow Lyn May, Gwen

I/C No: S 8005166 B

Module: Selected History Topics for Primary Social Studies

Module Code: ECL 201

Time and Day of class: 10.30 AM -12.30 PM (Friday)

Tutor’s Name: Dr. Ang Cheng Guan

Date of Submission: 18/10/2003

1 Where have all the Kampongs gone?

I was fortunate to interview someone who could remember his Kampong days so vividly. He is the father of a friend in his late fifties. Recounting the transitions and the Kampong life in a mixture of Teochew, Mandarin and some English, Mr Goh C.H, who had lived his youth there, had described his Kampong days as “the best days of his life”. According to him, those “best days” were sadly ended when the government reclaimed the land and resettled everybody. The Kampong Mr Goh C.H had lived in used to be known as “Kang Ka” which is otherwise now known as Ponggol. There is proof that Punggol used to be a Kampong as “the area was used for rubber planting, poultry farming and pig rearing in the past, while fishermen plied their trade at the mouth of the Serangoon River.”1 He also witnessed the changes Singapore had undergone since the 1950’s. This assignment is titled “Where have all the Kampongs gone?” which serves the objectives of showing the contrast of rural and urban life. It shows the changing family lives and identity and how the people survived the changes from past to present. In the interview, Mr Goh C.H reminisced with waves of nostalgia overwhelming him as he spoke of the alluring charm that the Kampong exudes. He had expressed some discontentment initially on being resettled. However on reflection, he is able to appreciate all that the government has done to improve their lives. According to Mr. Goh, reclamation works for the Kampong began in 1982. As we all know that Ponggol is set to be a nice and huge waterfront housing estate. It has also been called Ponggol 21. A housing estate targeted at young couples with more condominium like architecture and facade. As confirmed by the Primary Production Department, Ministry of National Development, “ a total of 1000 ha of land was developed in Ponggol between 1976 and 1980 for

1 Sumiko Tan. Home.Work.Play

2 resettlement and intensification for pig farming.” 2Therefore, land in Ponggol “was allocated in 1981/1982 to farmers with a minimum house 10 000 pigs on each lot and the larger ones with a capacity to house between 50 000 and 80 000 pigs on their land. Altogether 12 lots (126 ha) were allocated for the establishment of large-scale commercial pig farms.”3 This serves to confirm the time that Mr. Goh had stated in 1982 that the land was reclaimed by the government. Mr. Goh also mentioned that the government had given them some money and resettled them to HDB flats elsewhere. As in Mr Goh’s case, he and his family then moved to a 3 room flat in Ang Mo Kio and stayed with many other neighbours in the same block. But he had already applied for a 5 room flat in the north east part of Singapore. They were really not used to the space constraint as compared to the Kampong. As mentioned above the amount of land that was reclaimed by the government, we know for sure that for the people who had lived in the Kampong, that was really a lot of room and space. It would be quite of a transition from Kampong to HDB life. Mr. Goh also spoke of the change in living conditions. In his younger days, they had virtually no electricity. Their only form of light after the sun sets was from kerosene or paraffin lamps. Gradually they saw some improvements after the generator was introduced. During those days, they did not even have the luxury of a proper toilet and flush system. They had to build makeshift wooden toilets and relieve themselves into this very deep hole that they had dug. Even the water that they bathed with and drank came from the wells. As compared to modern living, we all know that we have the luxury of just turning on the tap and clean, filtered water comes pouring out. By the tap of the switch, we have electricity and brightness. Mr. Goh also talks about the freedom that they had enjoyed during those days when Singapore was not so developed yet. They had the chance to keep a sun bear in their

2 Yap Boon Chark. Development of Pig Farming areas and Pig Waste Management - The Singapore Experience. Primary Production Department. Ministry of National Development 3 Yap Boon Chark. Development of Pig Farming areas and Pig Waste Management - The Singapore Experience. Primary Production Department. Ministry of National Development

3 backyard and reared piranhas in the pond. His father even planted marijuana plants in the backyard. They were however taken away or destroyed when the authorities came to check on them in the later years as plans for reclamation in Ponggol took place. Mr. Goh further explained that before Singapore was developed, there were many Kampongs around. These Kampongs were just left as they were and the authorities hardly came to check on them or know what they were doing. Only in later years, as Singapore was to be developed and the workforce for the government gets bigger, the authorities then began to run checks on them. Otherwise, they were mostly left alone to lead their own lives. The games that Mr. Goh talked about with much enthusiasm and zest like ‘hamtam bola’, ‘tua bei long’, ‘chaptek’, ‘ka seng’, ‘tom beling’ are many that I have not even heard of. However, we do know that ‘hantam bola’ is probably the modern day ‘poison ball’ and ‘kasing’ is the modern day ‘beyblade’. Games like ‘chaptek’ is a well- known Kampong game. And during Mr. Goh’s time, fireworks and fire crackers were not banned items yet. This added to the atmosphere and festivity during Chinese New Year. We do not get to play with such items anymore but this has definitely cut down on casualty numbers. The games they enjoyed then they played in groups, unlike the games now, they are more individualistic. Life during Mr. Goh’s time was also simpler without much materialism among the people living there. They were easily contented and satisfied. Like Mr. Goh said, even when he worked, it was more to occupy his time rather than to help support their families because the cost and standard of living then was so low. Therefore, it was easier to get by. People were also contented having to squeeze with one another to watch television that only had two channels back and forth. Unlike now, where we have cable television and umpteen channels to choose from. Mr. Goh also muses about how different the women were then and today. He described his wedding as being a grand affair with only a few thousand dollars being spent. He also talked about how easily satisfied the women were then too. He feels that times have indeed changed and that the women today are not as easy to please anymore.

4 He also expresses his disdain at the pressure the children of today have to go through. He feels that children of his time really thoroughly enjoyed their childhood, unlike now where parents are pressuring the kids so much to study hard. He compared the parents then and today. In those days, when he was expelled from school, his mother was glad and instead of reprimanding him, she felt that it was a good way to save money. Instead, we can see now how much parents value education and will even queue for hours or shift houses just to get their children into their desired schools. From here, we can indeed see the great contrast of parents’ mentality towards education then and now. Mr. Goh also stresses the simplicity of life then and how involved the neighbours were in each other’s lives. They would go to great lengths to help each other out. Unlike now, where there is so much grunt about how anti-social neighbours are these days. It also seems that the people then had a lot of beliefs in the unknown. They believed easily what was being spread around and would rather believe than to form their own judgements about such things. This is indeed a different shift from today where people have their own opinions about such things and would rather believe in scientific evidence rather than just hearsay. From the interview, I was able to sense Mr. Goh’s sense of regret and sadness that because of the resettlement, his neighbours and relatives do not keep in such close contact anymore. The closeness and kinship that they felt towards each other is one of the alluring charms of the Kampong. Everyone was more personable then but after the resettlement, everyone else was trying to keep up with the standards of living rather than catching up with each other. Mr. Goh would rather give up the urban life anytime for the less hygienic living conditions and the simple living that he had experienced before. Although we know that that is no longer possible, we know that the sweet memories of the Kampong will forever be etched in his mind. Perhaps, there was really this Kampong smell, an essence that we will never be able to know how it really smelled.

Resources

5 Urban Redevelopment Authority and Housing Development Board. Ponggol 21: A waterfront town of the 21st century

Tai Ching Ching & Peter S.J Chen. Life and Living environment in Kampongs and HDB housing estates in Singapore

Ooi Giok Ling & Kenson Kwok. City & The State. Singapore’s Built Environment Revisited.Singapore. Oxford University Press. 1997

Sumiko Tan. Home. Work.Play.Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Yap Boon Chark. Development of Pig Farming areas and Pig Waste Management - The Singapore Experience. Primary Production Department. Ministry of National Development

Transcript of the Interview

Biography of the subject

Name of interviewee: Mr. Goh C. H

Age: 59

Nationality: Singaporean

Dialect: Teohew

Languages spoken: Teochew, Chinese and some English

Occupation (During Kampong days): Carpenter

Occupation (Current): Retiree

Duration of interview: 2 .5 hrs

6 (Interview was conducted in Mandarin and Teochew and translated after)

Q1: Till what age were you living in the Kampong? I was born in the Kampong in 1944 and stayed there till I was 38 years old. Those were the best and most unforgettable days of my life. Around 1982, we were asked to move.

Q2: What then made you decide to leave the Kampong? We didn’t have a choice. As with the style of the Government, they just gave us a miserable amount of money and told us to get the hell out of there.

Q3: You mean the Government reclaimed the land? Is that what they call it? To me it’s like daylight robbery!

Q4: Where did you move to after the land was reclaimed? After taking away our lands, the Government decided to put all of us into tiny little HDB flats.

Q5: You mean the Government resettled your family? Is that what they called it? After taking away our lands I think that’s the least they can do. Just chuck us somewhere so that we will not end up sleeping in the streets and become a sore eye for them.

Q6: Let’s talk about happier memories. You mentioned those days in the Kampong were the best and most unforgettable. Can you tell me more? Ah! Yes. I will never forget those wonderful days for as long as I live. In the Kampong, everybody knows each other. We care and share and

7 look out for one another. If a neighbor needs help, we will go all out to lend a hand. There were also all kinds of fruit trees around and we kids will help ourselves to them. The air was also very clean and fresh and there is this very distinct Kampong smell. I can’t describe it but it is just there. There were also all sorts of animals and pets in the Kampong. Chickens, ducks and pigs were a common sight. One of my neighbors even had a sun bear as a pet. It was so cute and attracted a lot of attention from the whole Kampong. Everyday was fun and more fun for us kids. We will catch spiders, tadpoles, birds, fishes, ladybirds, dragonflies and even fireflies at night. We climbed trees, swam in rivers and jumped into the quarry. We played hide and seek, police catch thief, ‘hamtam bola’, ‘tua Bei long’, ‘chaptek’, ‘kasing’, ‘tom beling’, marbles, while the girls would be playing zero point, five stones, ‘masak masak’, there were just so many things for us to do and so little time. During Chinese New Year, there were even firecrackers and fireworks for us to play with.

Q7: There was even a sun bear? Yes, it was very cute. It liked to suck on our thumbs and refused to let go. My father even reared a whole pond of piranhas. He also planted his own marijuana in the backyard.

Q8: Was that allowed then? Planting marijuana? No lah, of course not. You know what marijuana is? It’s like a kind of drug. The government came and took away the piranhas and destroyed the marijuana. The sun bear had to go too.

Q9: So how did the authorities come to find out about it? Actually, the government never come and disturbs us. But as Singapore developed, they came to check and see if everything was ok. So when they saw all these, they had to do something about it.

Q10: Can you describe some of the games, which you mentioned because I have never heard of them? Oh! ‘Hamtam bola’ is a game whereby the person holding the ball can’t move, but he can throw it at anybody he chooses. Of course everybody else will be running like mad. ‘Chaptek’ is a toy made with rubber and feathers and the winner will be the one who can juggle it the most number of times, with his feet. ‘Ka seng’ is like the modern day ‘bey blade’ my grandson is playing with nowadays. However during my time we use a string and a spin top made from wood. ‘Masak masak’ is just pretentious cooking whereby the girls will be using grass and leaves as vegetables.

8 Q11: Did you all play regular games like soccer or basketball? Of course! We can’t be catching tadpoles and playing with marbles our whole lives. Those were fun things we did when we were young. As we got older, we advanced to games like soccer, table tennis and basketball.

Q12: I can see that you really enjoyed your childhood. But what about your studies? Don’t you and your friends have to attend school? Aiyah! Last time was easy, studies weren’t important to us. It’s not as competitive as now. The living standards were also much lower. We also didn’t see the importance of paper qualifications. If you can get ‘O’ levels, your neighbors will already be congratulating your parents for bringing up such an intelligent kid. Our parents also never put any pressure on us. I still remember, when I got sacked for beating up a prefect in my school, my parents told me ‘very good no need to go to school anymore, can save more money on school fees’. Now it’s completely different. Parents are very ‘kiasu’, sending their children to all sorts of classes and courses. I can see that children are really very pressured nowadays. They don’t have time to really enjoy their childhood to the fullest. It is very sad. Now, everybody is talking about paper. But even if you can get a degree there is no guarantee you can find a job. The living standard is also escalating. Everything is so expensive nowadays.

Q13: You mentioned you were sacked from school, so did you start working immediately to help support your family? No, not immediately. I tried many odd jobs. But even whilst I was working, it was not to help support the family, it was more to keep me occupied and help earn my own allowance.

Q14: So why were you in no urgency to look for a job to help lessen the burden of your family? Oh.. during our time, living standards were so low. Everything was so cheap. A bowl of noodles only cost a few cents. It was so easy to get by. And moreover, most of us living in the Kampong were simple folks who did not have the chance to experience much less crave for luxuries and expensive stuff. As long as we have three proper meals, a roof over our heads and clothes to wear, that was enough.

Q15: So, what jobs did you try your hand at? Oh, I did all kinds of odd jobs. I tried to be an apprentice to the mechanic. I also drove lorries to deliver goods. I even drove rubbish collection trucks before. But my last job was being a carpenter.

Q16: I’m sure you had at least some luxuries to enjoy right? Our only luxury was to huddle with twenty other neighbours to watch a

9 colour TV with only two channels. There wasn’t much radio to listen to, only Redifussion, no FM stations.

Q17: What about the living conditions in the Kampong as compared to the present. There was a lot of difference. In the Kampong, before we had any water supply, we had to bathe with water drawn from the well. We also had to rely on a generator for electricity. There was also no toilet flush system. All we did was to dig a really deep hole. There was also an abundance of mosquitoes and flies. Those were not normal flies; those were really huge and shiny known as ‘blue bottle’ flies.

Q18: So you did not mind those mosquitoes and flies flying around? You get used to it after a while. During nightfall, we will gather a heap of coconut husks and burn them in front of our houses. This will keep the mosquitoes away at night while we sleep. As for the flies, there was just too many of them. You learn to live with them after a while. However at mealtimes, we will mix a plate of rice with rat poison and leave it on the table for while. After that, you will see the flies’ stomach exploding in midair.

Q19: Would you like to share any myths and legends from the Kampong? Well, before the government supplied any electricity, we lived in a world of darkness after the sun sets. There where kerosene lamps but, It is definitely not as bright lah. As you know, darkness is always associated with the unknown so there were many stories flying around. There were also some myths about “Orang Minyak”, “water ghosts”, “Pontianak”, “bamboo ghosts” and many others.

Q20: Can you describe some of these myths and was there any truth in them? I personally did not see any myself but I believe that many of these stories were actually made up by our parents to scare their children to prevent them from going out at night. You know in those days, there were many wild boars and it would be dangerous if you met any. You could be gored to death by wild boars or attacked by the stray dogs. The “Orang Minyak” was also known as the ‘oily man’. He is not a ghost, rather he is someone who had succumbed himself to black magic and became evil. He is supposed to be covered in oil, hence the name ‘oily man’. He is believed to come into people’s houses at night and steal things and rape the women folks. They also believe that it had special powers and could make himself invisible and slip through the tiniest cracks in walls. The “Pontianak” is such a common story, I’m sure you know that one. As for the “Bamboo ghost”, they believe that it would make you lose your way home. You would keep

10 walking around in circles but just cannot seem to reach home. When that happens, they believe that the “Bamboo ghost” is playing a trick on you. And the “Water ghost”, as many of the neighbours who lived in the Kampong were fishermen, they claimed to have seen it before. They said it has the body of a man but with very shiny scales all over the body. My father said that he saw it before when they caught it in their nets. But upon realizing what it was, they quickly released it back into the water. For all the ponds or any water related places, they would claim that there would be water ghosts. Personally, I heard this lady crying in the middle of the night. In fact, everyone in the Kampong heard it! There was something else that happened at the quarry where after that, my mother refused to let us play at the quarry anymore. There was a boy whom they said jumped into the water and accidentally landed on his stomach. After that, the impact of the water split his stomach and his intestines all spilt out. He died and after that, they said his ghost haunted the quarry.

Q21: Now, can I find out more about your love life? I mean, were you match made? No lah, no such thing. I married in 1970. By then, there was more freedom already. My wife was introduced to me by one of my neighbours and we went out on dates for a while and we found out that we got along so shortly after, we were married. We had no such thing as hotel weddings or what honeymoons. We had a wedding banquet held at the Kampong and all the neighbours and relatives came and celebrated with us. For the two three thousand we spent on the dowry and dinner, it was already considered a very grand affair.

Q22: Was your wife from the Kampong too? Yes, she was but not the same Kampong. But she was definitely more studious than I was. She even had an A levels certificate and LCCI. During then, with such qualifications, you would be considered a “Scholar”. You will definitely not have any problems landing yourself a good job. I even brushed up on my English because I wanted to marry her. You see, in those days, some English was enough. Now, you need the 5 “Cs”. Life was definitely much simpler than. Weddings were simple yet joyous affairs. The weddings now are like a good chance to show off to your friends and relatives.

Q23: So after your wedding, did you live in the Kampong with your wife? Yes, we lived there for a while until the Government decided to …. I thought we’ve been through that before? But come to think of it, I have 5 brothers and three sisters, all of who were married and we all

11 stayed together, one big family. Sigh…. those were the times.

Q24: Such a big family staying together, was there any trouble or quarrels? Aiyah, with so many people staying under one roof, there’re bond to be some disagreements now and then, but we are after all one big family and at the end of the day we still sit down and have dinner together. There was no hatred only love.

Q25: When you were resettled, I’m sure there is no HDB flat big enough for all of you to squeeze into? Of course! Our families had to live separately in our own flat. Although most of us are living in the same block of HDB flat, the feeling is definitely different. Once we are ‘separated’, everybody starts to lead their own lives. Although we still keep in touch, but the feeling is not the same anymore. It’s rather sad when I think about it.

Q26: But I’m sure some good did come out of this resettlement exercise. Like more privacy and a cleaner and more hygienic environment to live in? It is true we have more privacy and there are hardly any flies and mosquitoes flying around our flats. But if given the choice to choose between living in a clean and private HDB flat with a flush system or having to burn coconut husks every night, seeing flies ‘explode’, tip toeing through chicken and duck’s droppings and relieving into a hole, I would choose the latter anytime.

Ok. Thank you so much for your valuable information and time. It has certainly helped me understand the life then better. I’m sure it was really fun.