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The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) has indicated that it has “no objections to being joined as a party” in the case brought by blogger Ms Han Hui Hui involving a statutory board.

Ms Han is being sued by the Council of Private Education (CPE) for libel with regards to two emails Ms Han had sent to various parties alleging impropriety on the part of CPE corporate communications manager Andy Ong. (See here.)

In April, Ms Han applied to the courts to declare that since the CPE is a public and statutory body, it cannot sue for libel. She also claimed her legal right to freedom of speech under Article 14 of the Constitution.

At the pre-trial conference on 8 May, the court’s senior assistant registrar instructed CPE’s lawyers, Allen and Gledhill (A&G), to enquire with the AGC if it wished to be joined in the proceedings.

By Andrew Loh

In recent years, there have been instances where the Government took issue with civil society activists for allegedly having “crossed a line” from civil society activism to political activism.

The finger is pointed at those such as the former chairman of the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP), Nizam Ismail, and the activists who stood up for the SMRT drivers who had gone on strike last December; not so recently, there was blogsite The Online Citizen which was gazetted in 2010, and author Catherine Lim in 1994.

The Straits Times on 4 May 2013 had a two-page report - written by Andrea Ong and Elgin Toh - on this seeming crossing of the line by activists. It is worth noting that the report highlighted activists and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which are critical of the Government, and conspicuously left out examples of pro-Government or pro-establishment, and pro-PAP, activists and organisations which have similarly crossed the line from civil society activism to political activism.

Few of us in Singapore have much to return to from our childhood, even fewer would have fought as hard as Hidayah Amin to preserve what she holds dear of her heritage.

When Hidayah was born in her family home, Gedung Kuning at Kampong Glam, her grandmother, following an old Malay custom, planted a mango tree in the compound to commemorate her birth. That tree became a fond childhood "companion" for Hidayah. Growing up, it was a playground for her and the other children, a source of delicious fruit and even a shelter for the times she felt down.

The tree survived more than 2 decades, even after the family home was acquired by the government, before it was unceremoniously chopped down in spite of Hidayah's best efforts to have it named a heritage site.

It was a revelation which Hidayah found hard to swallow. She would have made the effort to relocate the tree, if she had known that plans to have it remain where it was had fallen through. The lament became a driving force for her to write about her time at Gedung Kuning, the house that was home to her and her extended family for a good part of her childhood.

Now, her story of The Mango Tree and what it meant to her, has been immortalised in a beautifully illustrated children's book. Flipping through the pages, the story made so much more alive by the drawings of artist Idris Ali, the simplicity of the message touched me both as a charming story of an era gone by as well as a testament to Hidayah's admirable persistence in safe-guarding the memory of her childhood. There is a stubborn refusal, against all odds, to not allow her heritage to be washed away. It makes for a compelling story, especially in a fast paced society as ours, where there is hardly any time to develop an attachment to our natural surroundings. Hidayah's books serve as a reminder of a connection we had to our environment just a few decades ago, and will prove to be a valuable record as our city tirelessly reinvents itself.

We spoke to Hidayah and found out more about why she feels so strongly about keeping the memory of her mango tree alive.

Biddy: How does the whole thing make you feel when you look back on it? Were you angry when they chopped down the tree?

Hidayah: I was traumatised, I cried for 3 weeks non stop. I couldnt work; think.

Biddy: You did not expect it?

Hidayah: When i emailed the MHF, no one had the guts to reply. So i had to write to the press. They could have told me that they will cut it, but instead they cut it and then told me, when there was nothing I could have done.

Hidayah: So many, you should read the book, it's all there. Its not abt me and the tree, it's abt heritage. Preserving what is impt to us. I don't accept cutting the tree to make way for tables n chairs.

Biddy: What message do you hope to convey of heritage through the book? And has writing it provided you with any closure??

Hidayah: Writing is a form of therapy for me, some people think i m taking revenge. But I felt I had to write to remind others not to take things for granted. The environment is important too, this is what i wrote in the book - A wise man once said, “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” The tree is symbolic of our heritage. The roots of the tree signify our foundation, our past history. Without the past, we will have no future.

Biddy: So why a children's book?

Hidayah: The story is in my other book Gedung Kuning book, Cik Idah's Mango Tree. The children's book is a continuation and elaboration from my childhood stories. My relationship with the tree. The mango tree is a children's book as I wanted the young ones to learn early. The earlier they understand this importance, the better. The theme of the book launch is abt nature.

Biddy: Do you think it's harder for the current generation to understand your attachment to the tree and heritage at large?

Hidayah: Perhaps they may not understand, surely, they must have loved a tree or plant or .... kids play in the garden, playing in the rain, sitting under tree. Even if they don't understand, perhaps they will when they read my story.

Biddy: Do you have anything to say to the public and the young ones about heritage and the world around them?

Hidayah: My second last paragraph in the book reads - "The death of my mango tree reminded me how temporary things are in this world. That is why it is very important to preserve our heritage as once it is lost, we can never get it back."

Find out more about the Mango Tree here.

By Ng Jing Song

It was the following exchange that might have brought Stand Up on May Day more publicity than the organisers could have ever bargained for.

“Labour Day is a day for rest.”

“Ya, like lepak in a corner.”

“Which corner?”

“Speakers' Corner lor!”

One of the organisers from StandUpFor.SG recounted the above dialogue to a group of prospective volunteers.

Recently, this event, which is due to take place on the 1st of May at Hong Lim Park, has come under fire. Less than four hours later on the very same day at the very same venue, Transitioning.org is putting together a protest against the population White Paper.