Submission of Singapore Botanic Gardens for Consideration as UNESCO World Heritage Site

Mdm Speaker, the tentative listing of the Singapore Botanic Gardens is part of the process to gain inscription for the Gardens as a World Heritage Site. Through this process, we hope that more Singaporeans will come to appreciate the rich heritage and cultural significance of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, beyond its obvious natural beauty.

The decision to submit a listing for Singapore Botanic Gardens was taken based on a study commissioned by then-MICA, which was done in consultation with experts, academics and other stakeholders. This decision was also taken after some members of the public expressed their support for the Botanic Garden's listing.

The study then showed that the Botanic Gardens has a strong case for nomination as a cultural site. It fulfils UNESCO's rigorous assessment criteria of having outstanding universal value and having made important contribution to the region and the world. It has also had significant impact on the cultural and natural developments of the region.

For instance, the Gardens' history parallels the development of Singapore and the regional economy – rubber seeds grown at the Gardens were distributed to plantation owners around the region, which propelled the growth of the rubber industry and the development of Singapore from a small fishing village to one of the world's busiest ports in the early 20th century.

Above all, the Botanic Gardens is a cultural site well-loved by all Singaporeans from all walks of life over the years. As far back as 1959, it was

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the venue for a multi-cultural concert where for the first time, Malay, Chinese and Indian performances shared the stage. Today, many Singaporeans exercise in the Gardens and attend the free concerts that are held there from time to time.

My Ministry, together with NHB, will continue to work with NParks and other stakeholders, to secure the inscription of the Singapore Botanic Gardens as a World Heritage Site, and more importantly, to share the heritage value of the Gardens with many more Singaporeans.

As we work towards achieving Singapore's first World Heritage Site, we will need strong support from all Singaporeans. The Member also asked about future submissions. At this stage, we have no plans to submit other sites for tentative listing because we would like to focus on the current bid for the Singapore Botanic Gardens. If and when we consider any future submission, we will certainly continue to engage stakeholders and the public.

Mdm Speaker, I thank the Acting Minister for his reply. I am heartened to hear that he regards the importance of strong support from all stakeholders. Given that that is the case, I would like to ask the Acting Minister why there was a rather long silence given that Singapore chose to ratify the World Heritage Convention and also sought a tentative listing for the Singapore Botanic Gardens last year.

Two other supplementary questions, Madam. One relates to the consultants. Would the Acting Minister enlighten us as to how the consultancies were awarded, for example, whether there was a tender called? If not, why? The choice of the Singapore Botanic Gardens is uncontentious. It is a popular choice. I certainly hope that the Government will try to seek the extensive local knowledge that is available which will certainly enhance our submission for the inscription of the Singapore Botanic Gardens as a World Heritage site.

I am not sure what the Member meant by long silence. I would say this. The process started quite some time back in 2010. I was not involved in it personally but I looked at the files, I looked at the records. There was consultation done with different groups, stakeholders and heritage groups. The Singapore Heritage Society was consulted. They were supportive of the bid. When the then-MICA and NHB decided to move forward, they went ahead to make the submission for the tentative listing but we were not sure that we would be able to get even a tentative listing. I suppose at that stage, the sense was that there was no need to tell people that we were making this first step for a tentative listing yet because there was no certainty that we would

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even get a tentative listing. Now that we are on a tentative listing, then we are ramping up the efforts to make a formal submission for inscription as a World Heritage site. It is a continuous effort, starting with engagement and consultation.

On the consultancy that was done, I do not have the details, but I am sure it was done in accordance to Civil Service procurement rules as with any other procurement for consultancy services. So, there was a consultancy service done at that stage, again, when this process started. They looked at various sites that were discussed with the stakeholders then. Then, based on the consultancy study, the Singapore Botanic Gardens was chosen as the best site for submission as a tentative listing for the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mdm Speaker, I have two supplementary questions for the Acting Minister. The first is: given that the guidelines under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention oblige governments to embark on consultation processes over the identification and nomination of potential heritage sites, was there any public engagement and communications undertaken in the lead-up to the nomination of the Botanic Gardens, and if not, why not?

My second supplementary question is: how will signing the 1972 World Heritage Convention change the way the Government is currently engaging with local NGOs and community interest groups in terms of identifying future potential sites and future submissions, especially in light of the fact that potential sites require legislative protection by governments before they can receive UNESCO World Heritage status?

I think I answered the first question earlier, that there was, indeed, consultation done in the lead-up to even identifying the Singapore Botanic Gardens. It was not the only site that was highlighted as a possibility. There were a few sites that were considered at that time. There were different views and people had expressed their views. In fact, if you would just google Singapore Botanic Gardens – which I did, incidentally, because I was curious about what happened in the past – you will find people talking about the listing of the Singapore Botanic Gardens way back in 2009 and 2010. It is there on public record.

On the signing of the Convention and what it means for the future, I think it means a stronger commitment to heritage and it means that my Ministry and NHB will do even more to engage different stakeholders on the importance of

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heritage, with regards to the different sites in Singapore and how we can make an even greater effort to preserve and recognise heritage value in the sites that are important to us.

Mdm Speaker, my supplementary question is this: the Acting Minister mentioned that there were other sites that were considered. Would the Acting Minister enlighten us as to what these sites were, before deciding on the Singapore Botanic Gardens?

Various sites were discussed at that time, including the Civic District, the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Haw Par Villa, the former Ford Factory. These were some of the sites that were discussed at that time. Different stakeholders had views about the heritage value and they were all valid. Eventually, the consultancy study identified amongst these sites, the Botanic Gardens as the one with the best heritage potential – which would have significant heritage value and also the best potential in terms of inscription for a World Heritage Site listing.