Let’s talk about greens. I never fully realized the importance of trees to a town until I became the state assemblyman. I started noticing the different species of trees in our neighbourhood and I would compare them with the trees I see in Shah Alam, PJ and KL. Whenever I’m on the road, my eyes are instantaneously fixed on the trees. I was always under the impression, less trees, less hassle. I remember how as a kid, I used to quarrel with my dad when he insisted that we should be planting fruit trees in our garden. Fruit trees? I thought that was just so un-cool! And dad would argue back then, ‘you know nothing about having shade, it’s so hot, we need more trees!’.
He was right. I knew nothing about having shade, until now. Sometime in November last year, I started asking myself questions. Why do we fight over-development (“OD”)? Let’s call it OD. What is so bad about OD? Will our kids benefit from OD? Apart from traffic jam, what else does OD produces? Climatic change and what else? How do we want Subang Jaya to be known as?
When I’m at the state legislative assembly in Selangor, whenever the assemblymen gather around for a brief chat, the topic which frequently comes up is traffic. Assemblymen from other places would say to me ‘the traffic jam at your place is very bad-la’. I would manage only a smile.
I do not want Subang Jaya to be known only for its traffic jam. So I started envisioning. Whenever I drive around Subang Jaya, I would imagine the town filled with beautiful shady trees. The power of imagination. Few weeks ago, I saw my imagination in reality (I know it sounds like an oxymoron). I was down in Singapore for a weekend and there was something different about this trip. I used to be attracted to only its shopping malls in Orchard Road and its public transportation but this time around I started noticing its trees! The trees didn’t appear to me to have just sprung up from nowhere. They didn’t just grow wild so beautifully on the streets. They can’t be. After all, we share a similar climate. Why didn’t they just grow wild beautifully on the streets of Subang Jaya?
Someone must have taken great care in planting these trees in Singapore and I’m certain it didn’t just happen in the last two years. These overgrown lush trees must have taken years to grow and they must have survived at least a generation. The closest to this which I have seen in Malaysia is probably the trees at the lake garden in Taiping.
Taiping happens to be my dad’s hometown. He beams with pride each time he drives past the lake garden. His typical remarks are: ‘look at these trees, look at their huge branches and the canopy of leaves above’. And the conversation would always end with this statement – “… and this is my HOMETOWN Taiping!”
Subang Jaya is my hometown. I want to say this with pride to my children and grandchildren too. For this to happen, someone has to make a conscious decision to green this town. We need to wilfully green our streets and parks. We will start now. New trees have been planted on Persiaran Tujuan all the way from USJ 2 to USJ 12. Another 90 trees have been planted at USJ 11. Another 200 more will be planted in Millennium Park in SS13 this month and many more to come.
Globally, a major worldwide tree planting campaign has been initiated by The United Nations. Visit http://www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign/ to find out more. [The campaign identifies four key areas for planting: degraded natural forests and wilderness areas; farms and rural landscapes; sustainably managed plantations; and urban environments, but it can also begin with a single tree in a back yard.]
I want each young person in Subang Jaya to grin with pride when they speak of their hometown Subang Jaya. Enough of over-development. Mayors, councillors, assemblymen and politicians, they come and go. Some are remembered for how they wasted taxpayers’ money with white elephant projects and some for the way they so readily gave approvals for huge development projects.
I want to be marked differently. I leave you with this wise proverb:
“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” — Greek proverb
Just like the forefathers in Taiping and Singapore, I want to leave behind a green inheritance for our kids and their kids. Let the hallmark of Subang Jaya be the trees and not its traffic jam. The power to change that lies in your hands and mine. You do not have to wait till you’re old to plant trees. Young and old can start now. Start today.
p/s – To my Dad : this article is a tribute to your great wisdom in insisting to plant fruit trees years ago. I know you’ve been waiting to hear this, what more in a public statement; yes you were right! Have a blessed Father’s Day to all the Dads in Subang Jaya!