An episode which happened some 40 years ago is worth sharing as it may offer some relevant lessons.
Back then in 1972, Jurong Town was the newly designated industrial estate, with many newly built unoccupied flats. It was effectively a ghost town with more flats than residents. In the bleak and deserted town there was fortunately a ray of light.
With funding from the Lutheran church, a Jurong Civic Centre was built to offer space for community activities. Then came the Jurong Industrial Mission (JIM) which was likewise funded by the Christian churches. The aim was not to evangelise but to help people identify the problems affecting the community, and encourage them to organise around those issues in search of solutions. Their modus operandi was community organising, based on the model popularized by Saul Allinski in Chicago where Barrack Obama first cut his political teeth.
An issue in Jurong Town at that time was the absence of any public transport. Young workers and residents had to use the services of “pirate taxis” in Bukit Timah to reach their living quarters in the Industrial Estate. This issue was identified by JIM following discussions amongst the residents. Before long, with the help of JIM, the residents managed to organise two bus loads of residents to call upon their MP, the then Ho Kah Leong, who of course was from the PAP. Mr Ho was taken aback by the visitation, but he had a ready answer. He claimed then that there were no public buses because none of the bus companies were interested. Full story
