Nowadays, everything seems to be getting replaced.
The current GCE O- and N- Level exams for a new common examination.
Handwritten love letters for online confession chunks.
My Aunt Matilda’s evil heart for an even eviler heart.
Yeah, things hardly stay stagnant anymore.
Yet, to really understand the whole notion of ‘replacement’, one doesn’t have to look further than the prestigious Marina Bay Floating Platform…
A site that’s set to be replaced by the upcoming NS Square.
NS Square Will Replace Marina Bay Floating Platform By 2025
According to Straits Times, the project to construct a new NS Square (a new permanent space that will replace The Float @ Marina Bay) is intended to be completed and handed over by the third quarter of 2025.
The floating platform, which has been utilised for multiple National Day Parades (NDPs), could be demolished as soon as January 2022.
“Wait… so it’s over?” you cry. “The Marina Bay Floating Platform will just disappear like that? Then River Hong Bao how?”
Well, not quite. See, before its impending demolition, the site is expected to host two more NDPs:
- Next year
- In 2021
This is in accordance to an announcement Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen had made on Monday (9 September 2019).
“Holding NDP 2019 at the Padang was an event steeped in history and traditions. For 2020 and 2021, NDP will be held at The Float @ Marina Bay, before that site closes for a few years to be built into the new NS Square,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
“The Float is a unique site that, in addition to land activities, allows more air and sea assets to be deployed. Look forward to NDP 2020 and 2021.”
The Marina Bay Floating Platform
Originally constructed as a temporary NDP venue while the new National Stadium was still under construction, The Float @ Marina Bay went on to host the honorary event nine times since 2007, most recently in 2018.
The parade last month, however, was held at the Padang.
NS Square
In 2017, when Singapore reached the 50-year national service mark, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that the floating platform would be altered to NS Square, alongside a gallery that would showcase the evolution of NS.
According to him, the platform will be turned into a vibrant space for arts, culture and sports activities all year round.
Apart from conventional parades, the new venue can also be used for community events such as art performances, weekend markets and of course the River Hong Bao.
It will also be the venue for future basic military training graduation parades, as well as parades for military units that complete their operationally ready National Service (you lucky fellows).
The redevelopment will also target the improvement of pedestrian connectivity, as well as the provision of a continuous loop around Marina Bay.
Memories
I’m sure that for the vast majority of the younger population, The Float has become a symbol, a physical representation of the honorary event we celebrate every year.
As such, I’m expecting tears to run a little wild, especially when 2022 does approach.
So do yourself a favour, do your family a favour…
And make sure to tune into the 2020 and 2021 NDP shows. Because after the 2021 rendition’s over…
The Float has served its purpose.
Kinda like my Uncle Dick really. Once my Aunt Matilda was done with him she sent him to the woods to eke out a living.
Don’t be like my Aunt Matilda.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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