The Wall

Welcome to the wall. The nature strip with its trees, bushes and grass is no more. I have just learned of the probable reason for its erection. A reliable source has told me that during the recent floods, the kampung or village at the back of the Japanese International School was flooded and some of the residents sought temporary refuge on the green fringe. This occupation couldn't have been for very long because I never noticed anybody there at all. However, the School felt that this occupation might become permanent and compromise security.

The school owned the land and had set the area aside as parkland in accordance with local government regulations that require a certain percentage of green space to be made available as part of any development project. All that seems to have swept aside with the supposed threat of a refugee camp developing and the area has now been thoroughly bulldozed and the concrete wall now abuts the footpath. It's comforting to know that there is a logical reason for this environmental vandalism. Extending this logic further, perhaps all green spaces in Bintaro should be bulldozed and walled off from the general public because of the risk of conversion to refugee camps.

Why not just move the fence and leave the trees in place? Why bulldoze everything? At least people inside the school could have enjoyed some shade and a little slice of nature. This construction has certainly added to the uglification of Bintaro. The graffiti has already begun and will continue because there is such an impressive expanse of wall.