Heritage: Icon or I conned

I think that tourism devalues heritage spots and icons. In order to increase the tourism of the heritage sites, shops such as fast food restaurants are opened there to cater to the needs of foreigners who are not accustomed to local dishes. The shops alter the heritage spot or icon's original image, which devalues it. The areas where the shops are built are where parts of the heritage spots or icons previously occupied. These areas are now modernised and it completely defeats the purpose of going to a heritage spot or icon, where tourists are supposed to appreciate the value of heritage that spot or icon holds. Furthermore, it changes the people's perception of the heritage spot or icon, as the interior of the heritage site is now modified and very much different from what it had been before. Thus, the heritage spot or icon is devalued as it no longer has the same value of heritage after the shops have been built.

Preservation and Modernisation

My personal stand on the issue of whether to demolish Mr Lee Kuan Yew's house is that we should demolish it. Through the circle of viewpoint lesson we had, I could understand the point of views of the different stakeholders and why they chose to think that way. I have come to a conclusion that we should demolish Mr Lee Kuan Yew's house, because he had stated that he would like to have his house demolished upon his demise, and we should honour and respect his wish. He had also wished that if the House was unable to be demolished, he wanted it to only be opened to his children, their families, and descendants, not to the public. I think we should respect the wishes of Mr Lee and his family, as this wish was stated in Mr Lee's last will and testament. Although stakeholders such as the National Heritage Board and Tourism Board would want to preserve the House as part of the preserving the country's heritage and for tourist attraction respectively, I think that we should demolish it as a form of respect and honour to Mr Lee. After the house has been demolished, the land can be used for other developments, such as housing and infrastructure, which can help the development of Singapore, which Mr Lee had dedicated his whole life to. In conclusion, we should demolish Mr Lee Kuan Yew's house, as it had been his wish, while aiding in Singapore's development.

Economy: Factory to the World

I think we should not blindly pursue higher economic growth, but value the protection of our environment more. By constructing more factories, it leads to a higher amount of pollution, which not only harms the environment, but also us and our health. For example, the air pollution in places like China can cause lung diseases, causing deaths. As the population decreases, there is no point in pursuing the economic growth, as it would not benefit anyone, with the people's poor health and practically dead population.
Instead of this blind pursuit, we should try to ensure both economic growth and protection of our environment, and not destroy our environment for the sake of the economy.

One Child Policy mindmap