Tiong Bahru residents say blocks painted in ‘saturated & awful’ purple
Some Tiong Bahru residents are seeing red after the exterior of their blocks was painted purple without them being consulted.
The complaints have led their Member of Parliament (MP) to pause painting works.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Tiong Bahru residents decry bold purple shade painted on blocks
Residents of Blocks 9A and 9B on Boon Tiong Road in Tiong Bahru had noticed that their exterior walls were being painted a bold shade of purple, Shin Min Daily News learnt.
They found it unacceptable and were puzzled as to why the colour wasn’t decided through a vote.
When reporters visited the estate on Sunday (11 May), it was observed that a notice had been put up at the lift landing of Block 9B, decrying the “most saturated and awful” shade of purple.
According to the notice, the town council said the colour was chosen by a contractor, with no voting process held.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
It also urged residents to call their MP, Mr Foo Cexiang, and the Town Council to voice their protest.
‘We thought the contractor was testing the colour’
Ms Li, 37, a creative professional who has lived with her husband in Block 9B for nine years, told Shin Min that they were shocked to see the block opposite painted dark purple on 9 May.
“At first, we thought the contractor was just testing the colour, but when we saw how much had been painted, we realised something was off,” she said.
The couple said Tiong Bahru’s heritage and architectural character usually features softer and lighter tones in its skyline.
“When we drive past other areas, we see HDB blocks painted in bright blue or green, but I really can’t imagine such bold colours appearing in Tiong Bahru.”
The couple, like other residents, were upset that the paint colour was chosen without consultation or the usual voting process.
Dark purple is a ‘niche’ colour
Another resident, Qiu Zhixiong (transliterated from Mandarin), 54, who works in IT, has lived in Block 4B for 12 years.
This is the first time the flats in the area have been repainted since he moved in, he said.
A light purple shade, closer to pink, would still be acceptable, as lighter colours are generally fine, he thought. But dark purple is a “niche” colour that most people are not used to.
Painting largely completed for one block
The exterior wall of one floor in Block 9A was observed to have already been painted in shades of light and dark purple, suggesting that work had just begun.
However, at the other end of Boon Tiong Road, Block 2A had already been painted in a mix of lighter and slightly darker shades of purple, which contrasted with the light yellow tones of its surrounding blocks.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
At least six other blocks along the road had a small section of their exterior walls painted purple.
The paint job for Block 2A was understood to have started more than a month ago and was largely completed two or three days ago.
The painting equipment had still been left downstairs, indicating that the work was nearing completion.
Some residents feel that colour doesn’t matter
Some residents felt that the colour of the block did not matter, as long as the overall appearance was clean and tidy.
Retiree Ms Cai (transliterated from Mandarin), 67, who moved to Block 9B about 10 years ago, told the paper that this was the first time the blocks were being repainted in at least 10 years, and the authorities did not consult her family on the colour.
She had heard neighbours discussing the purple colour, and her daughter, who lives with her, was also surprised by it.
However, she doesn’t understand why there’s so much controversy, saying:
I don’t quite understand why purple is so disliked. I think as long as the town council ensures the exterior walls are clean, the colour doesn’t matter.
MP looking into matter of Tiong Bahru purple blocks
Next to the complaint notice was a notice by Tanjong Pagar GRC MP-elect Foo Cexiang, who is in charge of the Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru division.
He said he was looking into the matter urgently and would consult residents on how to resolve the issue.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Mr Foo, who posted the same message on Facebook on 10 May, also asked residents to give him a little time to get back to them.
In the meantime, he has paused the works, he added.
Tanjong Pagar Town Council, in response to Shin Min’s queries, pointed to Mr Foo’s statement.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
