NGOH BAH: In fact, the honeymoon one, my camera came out, then my friend took for us. He used his camera but the whole roll didn’t come out.
INTERVIEWER: Oh. So you actually have – you, do you have any pictures of yourself at the station there?
Mr and EMILY: No.
INTERVIEWER: Oh, but this was in KL?
NGOH BAH: In KL.
INTERVIEWER: Ok. How would you like to see the railway, the rail corridor, you know, the rail corridor is this railway track. What would you like to see, now that it’s closed and the train is not going to run through, what would you like to see it become now?
NGOH BAH: I think they should convert into a green corridor. Yah, so for people to walk around.
EMILY: Yah, you can jog, you can walk, you can enjoy the open space.
INTERVIEWER: Do you think it should become residential?
Mr and EMILY: No, definitely not.
INTERVIEWER: And what else besides walking and jogging? Do you think the vegetable plots will come back?
EMILY: I think maybe it should.
NGOH BAH: It should come back.
EMILY: Not, not the whole stretch. Maybe, you know, part of it, certain area.
NGOH BAH: But I think they should, if they allow them to come back, they should manage it, you know. In the sense that don’t allow anybody to just occupy randomly. They should just, I mean, the authority should, you know, space out, divide the plot equally then got number and then people can go. Pay a certain fee, you know. More control then it’ll be nicer.
EMILY: For those who are interested. Then more control, more control.
INTERVIEWER: Do you think the track should stay there?
NGOH BAH: Yes, I think they should preserve some track to let the future generation know. Not to – certain part of the track. Is something like our Bishan Park, the old canal. Now they made into a stream but they very interestingly, at one corner, the old canal they still preserve it, you know.
INTERVIEWER: Oh, ok.
NGOH BAH: Then when you look at the old, this is the old canal, cement, is still there.
EMILY: The difference.
INTERVIEWER: And that reminds you a bit of the older Bishan Park.
EMILY: Yes.
NGOH BAH: They didn’t, they did not take away everything.
INTERVIEWER: Speaking of memories when you saw the, the older, these kinds of older, older parts of it, I notice that you now live near the MRT track. And in fact, right now, we can hear the train going past.
Mr and EMILY: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: Does that remind you of the, you know…
EMILY: That’s why I was telling him, you know, telling my husband, last time at Ghim Moh, we have the train. Now we come here, we get the MRT.
NGOH BAH: Is an improvement actually.
INTERVIEWER: Is this softer now, is this considered softer?
EMILY: Yah, softer.
INTERVIEWER: But does this remind you of – when you’re, when you’re, maybe you’re, sometimes if you are sitting here reading and you hear the railway, does that bring back memories of living in Ghim Moh?
EMILY: Yah, yes. It’s something like that. But then, the MRT is not as loud as the train.
INTERVIEWER: Right.
NGOH BAH: In fact, the direction is something on this side, the direction is on the left, right side.
EMILY: No, no, no, that one is behind. That one is behind our block.
NGOH BAH: Behind me. When you look through our kitchen, it’s on the left side.
EMILY: This one is in front.
INTERVIEWER: Did you sometimes ever see when you are like taking the, you know, your flat right in Ghim Moh – did you notice other people looking out of the window at the train, very excited?
EMILY: No. I think everybody will be initially when they shifted, especially when they have children.
NGOH BAH: Because our block is the front, to face the track so we could not see whether people, you know – because it’s parallel so you couldn’t see whether people look out or not.
EMILY: Ours is the last block facing the track.
INTERVIEWER: Do you have any final comments that you would like to record for posterity because this interview is likely to go into the National Archives. Something for the future generations to remember about the railway or…
NGOH BAH: Yah, I think the railway station should be preserved, should not knock down. Maybe convert into a art museum or something like that.
INTERVIEWER: Ok.
NGOH BAH: Then part of the railway should also be – then they called the…
EMILY: The corridor.
NGOH BAH: The railway track, along the nation, to preserve for people’s enjoyment.
EMILY: Recreation.
INTERVIEWER: Could I ask in your opinion, why do you think it is important to preserve things like the railway and the railway station?
EMILY: It’s part of our history, it has been with us, you know…
NGOH BAH: Because once you tear it down – yah, part of history. Once you tear it down, you will never get it back anymore, you see. So it’s part of history. I think it’s good that there’s something to remember that Singapore and Malaysia, there’s little bit of connection, you know.
EMILY: Connected by the railway station.
NGOH BAH: And this connection also cost about… (inaudible; 14.03).
INTERVIEWER: But at the same time, there was also other things.
NGOH BAH: Until now, we have to give up so many plots of land to Malaysia and now they’re making a lot of money.
INTERVIEWER: Well, maybe we also make some of it right.
NGOH BAH: Singapore only got, I think, 40 percent? 40 percent and the other side 60 percent.
INTERVIEWER: Ok, let me see if theres are any other questions. Alright, I think that’s it. Ok, well thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview.
EMILY: You’re most welcome.
NGOH BAH: Thank you.
INTERVIEWER: We will let you know when things go on.
