It is heartening to see that there is an online portal about our country's heritage ("Parliament: National Heritage Board launches one-stop heritage portal Roots.sg"; ST Online, April 14).

There is the everlasting question: Preserve heritage or push for development?

Singapore has experienced rapid development in the past 50 years.

While it is true that we might have had to sacrifice some heritage sites for development, we can still appreciate our national heritage, especially with the aid of this new portal.

This comprehensive heritage portal, which has captured more than 120,000 cultural treasures and historical artefacts, will be an effective method for Singaporeans to know more about Singapore and, therefore, be able to foster a sense of belonging.

Singaporeans, new citizens and permanent residents can also use this portal to understand more about this country's unique history and culture and, therefore, better integrate into society.

This new method of raising awareness on heritage is well adapted to the current era of technological advancement.

Singaporeans are usually busy with their work or studies and may not have much time to go to a physical museum, but they can easily access the online portal on their mobile devices, thus, learning about heritage on the go.

Other than the part that the Government plays, as Singaporeans, it is also our responsibility to actively keep ourselves informed about our heritage.

Ye Yutong (Miss)