New mediation task force set up in Geylang Serai to resolve neighbour disputes early

SINGAPORE – Residents living in Geylang Serai can now turn to another channel for communication if they run into a dispute with their neighbours.

A new 15-member mediation task force comprises trained grassroots volunteers who can step in early to help residents understand each other and prevent small misunderstandings from becoming bigger, said Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC MP Diana Pang, who oversees the area.

Addressing residents at a community event on Sept 27, she said the task force was set up by grassroots volunteers after gathering feedback from residents during house visits, market walks and daily interactions.

“The issue might be a very small issue – it can just be noise or things littered along the corridor. But if people find it awkward to talk (to their neighbours), there’s always us,” Pang later told the media.

Before the task force’s launch on Sept 27, grassroots volunteers had already been engaging in informal mediations with residents involved in disputes.

Pang noted that the task force will allow these mediation sessions to be carried out in a more structured manner.

The initiative comes as the Government expanded its Community Relations Unit (CRU) nationwide from Sept 1 to tackle severe noise and hoarding issues. Officers from the Housing Board are also able to get disputing parties to attend mandatory mediation sessions.

Asked what sets the Geylang Serai mediation task force apart from the CRU, Pang said cases brought up to the Community Mediation Centres – which CRU refers involved parties to for mediation – are often more serious.

The neighbourhood task force instead tries to “nip an issue at its bud” by facilitating communication among the involved parties from the beginning, to prevent a dispute from escalating further.

Noting that fewer than 30 per cent of cases registered with the Community Mediation Centres proceed to formal mediation, the People’s Association (PA) said in a press release that the task force will provide an additional opportunity for early dialogue at the community level.

It will complement established mediation and dispute-resolution channels, said the association.

Clement Yong, chairman of the new task force, said all mediation cases can now be referred directly to the team, facilitating easier tracking of data.

He added that mediators can now be assigned to cases, meaning that junior mediators can be paired up with senior mediators to work together and learn from each other.

Yong, a former district judge, noted that grassroots volunteers currently receive “a significant number” of noise complaints – a number “big enough” to warrant the creation of this task force.

Geylang Serai resident Alvin Soo, 49, said he believes the new channel will make it easier for neighbours to communicate with each other and create a harmonious environment.

The quality engineer said he has seen noise and hygiene issues leading to disputes, adding that these can be “easily controlled” with better communication.

Also in attendance at the community event was Law Minister Edwin Tong, who was making a ministerial community visit.

Both Tong and Pang officiated the opening of an NTUC Health Active Ageing Centre at Block 11 Haig Road on Sept 27.

This will help with the Geylang Serai Citizens’ Consultative Committee’s efforts to promote active ageing through community programmes such as health screenings, community outings and interest-based activities, said PA.

Speaking to seniors at the ceremony, Tong said this centre will be a welcome place for seniors to socialise and feel valued as part of the community.

The centre will also help with social and mental wellness, both of which are critical, added the Second Minister for Home Affairs.

Esther Loi is a journalist at The Straits Times, where she covers transport issues.