‘Left in a mess’: Baey Yam Keng calls out litter and mishandled books at Tampines library, faecal matter seen
Baey Yam Keng has called out the poor condition of a children’s community library in his ward, urging residents to be more mindful of their behaviour.
In a post uploaded to Facebook on April 4, Mr Baey, a Member of Parliament for the Tampines Boulevard division of Tampines GRC, said he was “saddened” to see a reading space meant for children at Tampines GreenCourt Community Library being “misused and left in a mess”.
Photos shared in the post showed three empty 1.5-litre bottles of Fuze Tea Ice Lemon Tea, one of which appeared to be cut in half and burnt. In the background, a pink children’s chair could be seen lying on the ground.
Another image showed children’s books scattered across a blue table, while a third showed what appeared to be clumps of faecal matter smeared on the library’s artificial grass.
“Unfortunately, we’ve seen instances of books being mishandled, litter left behind, and furniture misused. Sometimes, the space is being treated as a drop-off area, with parents and caregivers not bothering to ensure that their children leave the place in a good condition,” Mr Baey wrote.
‘Very inconsiderate’
The issue was highlighted by a Facebook user by the name of Sam John. In a post uploaded to the Complaint Singapore group, he described feeling “absolutely shocked” when he came across the messy space in the early hours of April 4.
A 23-second video he shared showed the area in disarray — books scattered across tables and not returned to the nearby shelf, chairs pulled out and mismatched with their respective tables, and items left on the floor.
“Very inconsiderate,” someone behind the camera could be heard saying.
“This kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable and shows a clear lack of consideration for public spaces, and it is very likely that irresponsible youths were behind it,” Mr John wrote, adding that he had alerted the relevant authorities.
Seats may be removed if issue persists
The Tampines GreenCourt Community Library, located on the second floor of a plaza at Block 633 Tampines North Drive 2, was revamped in December last year.
In response to Stomp’s queries, the Tampines GreenCourt Residents’ Network said the library is a community volunteer project started by residents in the area, and is not run by the residents’ network.
In a Dec 11 Instagram post by @tampinesgreencourt, it was described as “an initiative by a group of community leaders”.
Mr Baey said the residents overseeing the library may have “no choice” but to remove seating if the problem persists, calling it “a loss for the entire community”.
He also appealed to residents to keep the space clean, including disposing of litter and returning books after use.
“This space was set up by residents with good intentions — as a shared corner for residents, especially children and families, to read, learn and bond. It belongs to all of us.”
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