Yes, it is certainly not easy to plant a tree in Singapore. Mr Mohammad Tajeran has been cycling around the world and planting trees in every country he had been to. In doing so, he hopes to spread the word that we can save the Earth from climate changes. But after planting about 900 trees around the world, he finally hits an obstacle here in Singapore.
Well it seems that Mr Mohammad Tajeran has hit an obstacleMr Mohammad Tajeran's plan was to plant a tree in a school, however, to plant a tree in a school in Singapore, permission has to be sought. The permit would only come after a week or so and Mr Mohammad Tajeran would not be able to stay here for that long. So he is not able to plant a tree here in Singapore, which is ironically called the 'Garden City'.
From this incident, we can clearly see how inflexible our system is. Though setting clear rules and regulations will ensure order, people should be given certain rights to response to special cases. Is planting a tree a big issue? I don't think so. I think the school principal should have enough power to make such a small decision. So lesson learned from this incident: If you want to do something extraordinary in Singapore, do get your permit way earlier.
Image from weneedtrees.com
Well it seems that Mr Mohammad Tajeran has hit an obstacle
4 comments:
I agree with your final statement. People who have worked in government organisations here in Singapore will definitely sympathise with the plight of Mr Mohammad Tajeran.
But of all places, why did he choose a school as a venue for tree-planting? I'm sure there are some other plausible locations here for that.
In any case, Singapore already has quite a lot of trees; a publicity stunt for tree-planting in Singapore would probably not have much of an effect compared to say... arid regions in Africa.
On a joking note though, he might have stood a better chance if he had made some contributions to the school fund, or do a couple of hours of CIP for the school.
It is his usual practice to plant the tree in a local school of the country he visits. He aims to convey his green message more to children rather than adults. And so far he had been successful in all the previous countries he visited; I guess he never foresaw that the 'Garden City' would reject his idea.
Ah i prefer to see this from another perspective, i feel that the governments decision to reject his application a wholly practical one. By planting a tree,this would be seen totally out of the norm as HOW CAN IT BE THAT WE ARE ALLOWED TO PLANT TREES ANYWHERE WE WANT???? this run against the grain of the Singapore way of life which is conformity and obedience. Such acts might even cause a strain on the social fabric of Singapore. Moreover, this is not in line with economic theory as a tree does not add any productive capacity to the country's economy ( unless indirect or spillover benefits are considered, such as more oxygen or better environment? all of which are quite trivial)and it does not add anything to the governments coffers ( the massive reserve). This spot for planting the tree can be used for productive purposes, such as selling fish balls or a PAP booth, both of which would have comparable tangible benefits to the future generation.
Lol... I love your comparison of PAP booths with fishball stalls. Both have 'tangible benefits' to future Singapore generations. Nice one!
Post a Comment