Entertainer Gurmit Singh at 60: ‘My biggest contribution to S’pore is PCK – and three children’
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Gurmit Singh's latest hosting gig was for the Gardens by the Bay and Mediacorp National Day Concert on Aug 3.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF GURMIT SINGH
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SINGAPORE – He made yellow boots and permed hair famous, thanks to his titular Singlish-spouting Ah Beng contractor character in the hit local sitcom Phua Chu Kang (PCK) Pte Ltd (1997 to 2007).
Though the series ended almost 20 years ago after eight seasons, Gurmit Singh’s name is still so synonymous with PCK, he was tapped by the Government to reprise his TV persona for a Covid-19 campaign in 2020 to rap about good hygiene habits.
The home-grown actor-comedian is also a regular emcee of the National Day Parade and other National Day-related grassroot events.
His latest hosting gig was for the Gardens by the Bay and Mediacorp National Day Concert on Aug 3, where he shared the stage with local personalities Nithiyia Rao, Yasminne Cheng and Zhin Sadali.
Singh, who turned 60 on March 24, has three children with his 55-year-old wife Melissa Wong – daughter Gabrielle, 28, a drag and burlesque performer; son Elliot, 23; and daughter Mikaela, 12.
Gardens by the Bay and Mediacorp National Day Concert hosts (from left) Zhin Sadali, Yasminne Cheng, Gurmit Singh and Nithiyia Rao.
PHOTO: GARDENS BY THE BAY
What is your core memory of Singapore?
Busy, hot, I sweated a lot. Different races all around. Lots of Singlish – my favourite.
What do you consider your biggest contribution to Singapore?
Nothing except PCK? Is that even a contribution? Oh wait, I have three children – two daughters and a son. That’s something the Government wanted, yes? More than one child.
Phua Chu Kang (Gurmit Singh) in PCK – Singapore Be Steady!, a song to encourage Singaporeans to practise personal hygiene during the Covid-19 pandemic.
PHOTO: GOV.SG
What do you love or hate about the country?
I love the safety, greenery and cleanliness, the Singlish – again, my favourite – and the plethora of food from all over the world.
I hate that schools start so early in the morning, the certificates of entitlement (COE), the latest In-Vehicle Unit (IU) device and the tearing down of the National Library in Stamford Road – someone’s head needs to roll for this.
What is one thing you miss about the Singapore of your childhood?
The old games we used to play – police and thief, catching, five stones – and when neighbours used to be just that, neighbours. Today, it is hard to know who lives next door, as everyone keeps to himself or herself.
Gurmit Singh when he was one year old.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF GURMIT SINGH
What is the best and worst thing about being 60?
The best thing is that I am not turning 70. The worst is that I am no longer 50.
SG60’s theme is Building Our Singapore Together. What would you like the Singapore of the future to look like?
Stop building, but start preserving more of our heritage.
At this rate, we won’t be recognisable and remember where we came from. Failing which, we need to start a department specifically to archive every single component of our present and history that one can visit or draw down digitally for remembrance.
And what does your next era look like?
Hopefully, less work and more play. Less stress and more pleasantness. Less hurried and more in the moment.
