Letter from Khng Eu Meng
Quite a number of roads here bear the names of eminent people who were pioneers in various fields.
These roads were named during colonial times.
But it struck me that road names mostly do not include surnames, especially if they are Chinese -
for example, Eu Chin Street (Seah Eu Chin), Joo Chiat Road (Chew Joo Chiat), Kim Seng Road (Tan Kim Seng), Liang Seah Street (Seah Liang Seah), Jalan Boon Lay (Chia Boon Lay), Boon Keng Road (Lim Boon Keng), Ann Siang Hill (Chia Ann Siang) and Keong Saik Street (Tan Keong Saik).
Perhaps, during those days, it was a sign of familiarity. Who didn't know Kim Seng or Keong Saik then?
But with the passage of time, few today will know who these people were.
Who is this Ann Siang or Joo Chiat, one may well wonder. And, given the absence of surnames, it is harder to trace their history.
There are roads that do bear the full Chinese names, but these are few and far between. Names that come to mind are Cheang Hong Lim Place in Telok Ayer and Eu Tong Seng Street in Chinatown.
In Malaysia, I noted that road names tend to bear the full names and titles of those they commemorate. Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock in Malacca, Khoo Sian Ewe Road in Penang, Jalan Wong Ah Fook in Johor Baru, and Jalan Yap Ah Loy in Kuala Lumpur are but a few examples.
While it can be appreciated that a change of these very old road names may disrupt one's familiarity with them, in the long run, I believe it would better serve our history and heritage for our future generations.
http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120508-0000009/Joo-Chiat-who?-Let-our-roads-bear-full-names
Does not matter anymore.
Singapore never developed the ability to give unique names to public places. And by now that creativity is dead.
Every location will be <Existing Name> Avenue <No.> or Street <No.>
Very dry, clinical.
No more names like Jalan Ayam Bogel, Koek Street, Muthuraman Chetty Road will be made. The British came up with such names because they consult the locals. The present government never consult the citizens on such matter. Their naming are no brainer, and don't challenge the imagination. It is for their convenience.
The new sports hub at Kallang coming up will most likely be called The SportsHub@Kallang.
We shall call Marina Bay "Marina Bay"
The signs were already there in the 1980s when we could only come up with MRT for our mass rapid transit system.