SINGAPORE - Under the law, the National Heritage Board (NHB) has to publish its proposal to make Fort Siloso a national monument, which it has done on its heritage portal Roots.gov.sg

It is not a requirement, but NHB is also seeking public consultation on the proposal, a move welcomed by observers, especially as Fort Siloso will be the first to be gazetted under laws protecting monuments that were amended in November.

Since Monday (Jan 17), the coastal fort has taken on "proposed national monument" status, granting it similar protections to gazetted monuments. Those who alter and change monuments in a way that affects their character and significance face punishment.

The board said on Tuesday that the call for public input reflects its efforts to be more consultative, and that it is seeking public feedback in the process of gazetting monuments in response to requests from heritage non-governmental organisations.

Fort Siloso's forthcoming gazette will also be the first time multiple structures within a larger context or site have been recognised as a monument.

While others such as Cavenagh, Anderson and Elgin bridges were gazetted as an ensemble, each bridge is historically independent, meaning they can be preserved separately as they are individually significant. But for Fort Siloso, preserving just one of the guns will make no sense unless it is accompanied by a whole-of-fort charge.

Why it matters

The process of gazetting a site - whether privately or publicly owned - as a national monument is not an easy one.

The three-year engagement process that preceded the Government's decision last year (2021) to conserve the strata-titled Golden Mile Complex is instructive of how extensive consultations can be, and could need to be.

Observers said seeking public input makes the gazetting process more like a conversation and less like a commandment.

Singapore Heritage Society president Jack Lee said: "People may be able to share their memories of such sites, which will enrich our understanding of them and help the authorities to decide if the sites are worthy of preservation."

Should a preservation order - which specifies exactly what is part of a gazetted monument - be amended or revoked, the public should also be able to share whether they feel that sites should be preserved or not, said Dr Lee.

Given the fact that Fort Siloso is managed by Sentosa Development Corporation - a statutory board - and the fort's World War II significance, it is unlikely that NHB will receive substantive objections to its proposal. Such objections are due by Jan 31, and NHB plans to gazette the site next month, the 80th anniversary of Singapore's fall in World War II.

While state-owned and private buildings both face development controls and are subject to stringent maintenance rules, affording restoration and maintenance works is typically more challenging for private monuments, especially those owned by religious organisations who rely on donations for such efforts.

Consultations on future proposals to preserve privately owned buildings and sites may see robust discussions and stiff resistance, especially from owners who fear that development controls which accompany monument status will devalue their property.

As for the collective preservation of multiple structures in Fort Siloso, architectural historian Yeo Kang Shua said an appropriate rehabilitation of its historic cultural landscape is needed following the gazette to allow better appreciation of its function as a fort.

Dr Yeo said some areas will require restoration, which might include selectively clearing vegetation that currently obscures the line of fire of some guns.

"I am confident that a balance between preserving the site's cultural and natural landscape will be found," he said.

What lies ahead

While the inclusion of a public feedback mechanism in the gazetting process is welcome, more can be done to improve the quality of such mechanisms, so that the public may have a say in what is national monument-worthy.

Here, NHB may consider taking a leaf out of its own book by holding consultations further upstream - it is currently hosting focus group discussions on Singapore's next nomination for inscription on Unesco's intangible cultural heritage list.

As Singapore increasingly focuses on protecting its post-independence heritage, it is time for citizens to have greater say in what they deem nationally significant.

The forthcoming preservation of Fort Siloso also calls into question the future of a handful of remaining forts on Sentosa and mainland Singapore, some of which have fallen into ruin. Fort Serapong, for instance, has a collapsed lookout tower.

There is scope for a look into how Fort Siloso was part of a network of other forts and batteries undertaking the defence of Singapore's harbour.

Even as Singapore's best-preserved 19th-century fort is set to be gazetted, it is hoped that more of other wartime installations - especially those not yet in a decrepit state - including other features such as pillboxes and tunnels, can be protected so that they may collectively tell the story of the nation's military heritage.