Tharman launches rejuvenation works at Geylang Serai cultural belt, sings P. Ramlee song

SINGAPORE – A rendition of the P. Ramlee song Getaran Jiwa – loosely translated as Stirring Of The Soul – by Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam was met with cheers and applause by an audience of residents, merchants and other stakeholders in Geylang Serai on Saturday.

“The soul’s vibrations surge through my heart in arranged tones, melody and song,” he sang its opening lines in Malay.

Mr Tharman was guest of honour at a ground-breaking ceremony, held at cultural heritage hub Wisma Geylang Serai, to mark the start of a rejuvenation project in the Geylang Serai cultural belt.

The Senior Minister, who announced on Thursday that

he planned to run for president of Singapore,

paid tribute to the late Malay singer-songwriter, film-maker and actor behind the song, who died in 1973.

Mr Tharman said that after he posted about P. Ramlee on Facebook in April, he was struck by the response from the public, who wanted the artiste’s legacy to be recorded for future generations.

He said: “What was very important is that he was something for people of all races in Singapore… those of us who were old enough… can remember that. (He) always focused on the ordinary person: both the humour and the sad stories about the ordinary people.”

Mr Tharman said that – after discussing the matter with the relevant ministers – an inter-agency committee has been set up, not just to record the artiste’s legacy but also as a continuing part of Singapore’s multicultural society.

The committee members, which include the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, National Heritage Board and National Library Board, will consult the public on this.

Speaking on bringing back the golden era of Geylang Serai, Mr Tharman said: “It’s a worthwhile project… it is important not merely for the Singapore Malay community, because Geylang Serai is part of the many histories that make Singapore. It is a microcosm of multicultural Singapore.”

The

work on the Geylang Serai Market and Joo Chiat Complex

, as well as the construction of an arch anchored at the corner of Geylang Serai Market and Tristar Inn, are expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2024.

Mr Tharman spoke of the multicultural roots of Geylang Serai, which was home to Javanese Muslims who came back from pilgrimage and found work in Singapore.

“It was actually a multicultural community… around Lorong Engku Aman, Jalan Tengah, Jalan Alsagoff. There were people of all races and religions living here, which is also why we had several Chinese Taoist temples. We had ancestral homes. We had vibrant Chinese festivals in Geylang Serai.

“So Geylang Serai, like Little India, like Chinatown, were in many ways all multicultural. That is why you find mosques and temples in Chinatown as well. And that was the beauty of Singapore.”

The rejuvenated area will have new public spaces, improved infrastructure, and enhanced programmes to facilitate community bonding.

The work will be done concurrently, albeit in phases for each area, to minimise disruption to businesses and inconvenience to residents and visitors.

The bicycle parking facilities for visitors and delivery riders in Geylang Road will be upgraded, and there will be a new designated wheelchair pick-up area, as well as footpath and resting spots.

At Joo Chiat Complex, work on a new sheltered linkway along Changi Road has started, with ramps and stairs from the shophouses and bus stop to the building.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman, who hosted the event, said the tenancy of the shops at Tanjong Katong Complex has been extended until the end of June. Upgrading work will start by early 2024 and be completed at around the end of 2026.

The design for the revamp came from the winners of the Geylang Serai Design Competition. The contest, launched in January 2021 and overseen by the Singapore Institute of Architects, sought ideas from architects under the age of 40 to enhance the key gateway to the cultural belt at the junction of Geylang Road, Changi Road, Geylang Serai Road and Joo Chiat Road.

The upcoming developments are intended to add vibrancy to, and strengthen, the collective cultural identity of the area.

Dr Maliki highlighted key developments at Wisma Geylang Serai, such as the sheltered hard court Anjung@WGS which can be used for weddings, sports events and other activities.

About 100,000 people have visited Anjung@WGS for various community activities since it opened in July 2022.

“The programming includes looking at the life of Geylang in the past, so that young people can appreciate what had happened in the past and co-create the present,” said Dr Maliki.

“Let’s imagine the future, the future of Geylang Serai that brings people of different cultures together, and continue to make this place (come) alive.”