Massive Crowd Rallies Over Maju Forest, With GCBs And Golf Courses Taking Centre Stage

A large crowd gathered at Hong Lim Park on 16 Aug 2026 to voice concerns over plans to develop Maju Forest and Gillman Barracks for housing. The 3-hour Maju for the People rally was organised by SG Climate Rally, with organisers estimating that about 2,000 people attended.

The rally called for greater protection of Singapore's green spaces and more transparency in land-use decisions, with questions over the use of Good Class Bungalows (GCBs) and golf courses for alternative development sites emerging as a popular topic among attendees.

The speeches formed the main programme of the rally, which opened with criticism of Singapore's allocation of space and resources.

Emcee Debbie cited an estimated 2,800 Good Class Bungalows (GCBs) and 16 golt courses in Singapore, arguing that their presence reflects an "unequal distribution of space and resources between working class and the ultra-wealthy"

She added that given the amount of land occupied by GCBs and golf courses, Singapore's limited space for public housing should not be the issue. Instead, she argued that the debate was about "public good versus private greed"

Other speakers included 14-year-old Sofwah and Zi Jing, members of the youth division of Forest School Singapore, who highlighted the situation in Pulau Ujung during their speech. They said the island has lost about 95% of its original primary forest cover due to agricultural and urban development.

They also spoke about the difficulty of asking young people not to worry about the future of forests, saying that for them, "the future is in despair"

The rally was also attended by prominent opposition figures, including Singapore Democratic Party 's Paul Tambyah and Progress Singapore Party's Leong Mun Wai.

Several Workers' Party members were also in attendance. Plan B spoke to MPs Kenneth Tiong and Jamus Lim, who said they were heartened by the strong turnout at the rally.

Beyond the speeches, the rally featured activities including postcard-writing and sign-painting, alongside booths run by campaign groups such as Save Gillman Forest and SG Climate Rally.

One of the booths invited attendees to "vote" on factors they considered important for future land-use decisions, including animal welfare, public feedback and urban heat.

In fact, urban heat is an increasing concern in Singapore.

The Meteorological Service Singapore says the country's annual mean temperature has risen by 0.24°C per decade since 1984, while the National Environment Agency has noted that urbanisation can contribute to warmer temperatures by increasing heat absorption and reducing nighttime cooling.

The rally came days after the Government said it would adjust the development plans to retain more greenery at both sites.

According to Min. of State for National Development Alvin Tan, the authorities will continue to engage Singaporeans and aim to finalise the plans over the coming month.

The initial plans would have cleared about 15ha of Maju Forest and at least 10ha of forest at Gillman Barracks. Under those plans, 35% of Maju Forest and 40% of green spaces at Gillman Barracks were to be retained.