Before Stamford Raffles landed at the Singapore River, there was the tale of Sang Nila Utama. Legend has it that during a fraught voyage, the prince from Palembang threw his crown into the waters along the West Coast (off today’s Telok Blangah) in a bid to appease the gods and tame the violent storm. Clearly, the trick worked. The prince made it to the fabled land of Temasek and renamed it Singapore.
Fast forward a few centuries, and West Coast GRC has become one of Singapore’s most varied and dynamic neighbourhoods. It is an area with a 700-year-old history teeming with local myths and legends. It is also one of the few GRCs with a jurisdiction spanning both land and sea.
Here, we look back at how this historic area has changed under the PAP’s leadership to become the beating heart of Singapore’s development.
1960s: Building a nation, one industry at a time
The challenges Singapore faced during its early days felt almost insurmountable. The British were withdrawing, and economic prospects were bleak. To make matters worse, rapid population growth gave rise to a young and restless population desperate for work at a time when jobs were scarce.
Under these circumstances, the PAP government acted fast. It embarked on an ambitious project to industrialise the nation to create jobs. As part of the strategy, a swampy, crocodile-infested stretch of land became the site for a new manufacturing hub.
There was no lack of sceptics who scoffed at the plan, which was dubbed “Goh’s Folly” at the time, after then-Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee. However, shrewd government policies to attract investors paid off.
By the late 1960s, there were 180 factories at Jurong Industrial Estate, producing goods such as textiles, electronics and steel. This success laid the foundation for further economic development in the 1970s and beyond.
1970s: Rise of a Garden City
The transformation of Singapore into a garden city began in earnest in the 1960s. While industrialisation was paramount, the PAP was adamant that it should not come at the expense of green spaces.
In 1965, Mount Faber Park was officially opened to the public. It was the first of many parks dotted around Singapore and part of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s vision to adorn the nation with lush greenery and tree-lined boulevards.
With its sweeping views of the city, Mount Faber Park quickly become a popular spot with locals and visitors alike.
But it was not until 1974, with the addition of a cable car system, that the park was fully connected to the leisure island of Sentosa.
As for Sentosa, the original plan was to turn the island into a petrochemical complex. However, the proposal was shelved due to concerns about pollution and the island’s proximity to the city centre. This decision proved to be a shrewd one. 50 years on, Sentosa has endured to become one of Singapore’s most famous attractions.
Nevertheless, space was still needed to build a new industrial hub. Given Singapore’s limited land area, it would take great ingenuity, to power the next phase of Singapore’s industrial development.
1980s – 90s: Overcoming challenges
By the 1980s, Singapore’s shoreline, unchanged for centuries, began to take on a new shape. Keen to overcome our land scarcity, the PAP government embarked on major land reclamation projects. West Coast Park and Pasir Panjang Terminal were created through these reclamation projects.
However, the development of Tuas proved to be the most industrious project of the lot. Having identified the energy and chemicals (E&C) industry as the next big driver for economic growth, Singapore would need to build a chemical processing facility away from residential areas.
With Sentosa no longer an option, the PAP government had another idea. It would create a brand-new island from scratch.
Jurong Island, formed from the merger of seven smaller isles, was earmarked as Singapore’s petrochemical hub. It was a gamble that paid off. Within twenty years, Singapore rose to become one of the largest exporters of refined petroleum and chemicals globally.
Along with other projects developed since the 90s, such as the One-North science hub, they stand as a symbol of the PAP government’s far-sightedness and can-do attitude. Both traits would be crucial in bringing Singapore forward into the new millennium.
2000s: Sustainability and an urban transformation
Four decades after Mount Faber Park was established, the greening of Singapore has continued with gusto. One addition to this urban biodiversity are the Southern Ridges.
Opened in 2008, the 9-km corridor linked several parks together, and brought nature closer to residents of West Coast GRC. Its sleek design and expansive views of our city landscape also made it a bona fide tourist attraction.
Six years later, in 2014, West Coast GRC became not only a pioneer in green spaces but blue ones as well.
As part of the PAP government’s plan to safeguard marine biodiversity, the coral-rich waters of Sisters’ Island were designated as Singapore’s first Marine Park. The move was the start of a broader strategy to address environmental issues, a threat that has become more urgent in recent years.
Over the years, West Coast GRC has become one of Singapore’s most vibrant neighbourhoods. However, what makes the area an endearing place to call home is the sense of community.
It is the shared spaces such as parks and community clubs, not to mention the unwavering efforts of MPs and volunteers to help residents strengthen their bonds with each other.
The result is a West Coast spirit like no other. A solidarity anchored around love, kindness, and empathy.
So, what does the future hold for the West Coast? Older flats are being upgraded while new ones are being built.
No stranger to ambitious feats of engineering, the western shoreline is about to be transformed even more with the development of Tuas Port and the Greater Southern Waterfront. The latter will add 6,000 new HDB flats to the former site of the Keppel Club, which will be linked by a continuous waterfront promenade stretching from West Coast Park to Marina Bay.
In addition, the Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line, when completed in 2030, will further boost transport connectivity in the West.
As Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong once said, “We will never be done building Singapore.” This is how the PAP delivers and builds a better Singapore for all Singaporeans, from one generation to the next.
Photo Source: National Archives of Singapore/ Roots.sg/ NLB/ JTC/ Lee Hsien Loong/ Desmond Lee /Ang Wei Neng/ Foo Mee Har/ Rachel Ong via Facebook
