News: The Straits Times -  2 February 2010


Boost for Arabic culture in S'pore
Replica of ancient dhow to sail from Oman and be displayed in Singapore
By Jeremy Au Yong, Political Correspondent


MUSCAT (OMAN): Arabic culture in Singapore will receive a significant boost, in the form of a replica of an ancient Arabian dhow, in about five months.

The ship, a gift from the Sultan of Oman to Singapore, is now complete, sea-tested and ready to make its maiden voyage.

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, in the Omani capital Muscat on an official visit, inaugurated the ship at a ceremony yesterday attended by Omani government officials and the crew of the dhow.

Named the Jewel of Muscat, the dhow will begin its voyage later this month and is expected to arrive in Singapore sometime in June or July.

Once at its destination, it will be put on display.

It is one of two projects Singapore is working on with the Omanis in a bid to promote Arabic culture back home.

The second is a joint effort to give Muscat Street in Singapore a makeover, for it to look more like its Omani namesake.

Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of the ceremony, SM Goh said both projects showed the desire of both countries to have a bit of Arabic culture in Singapore and to revive old ties.

'We are trying to promote Arabic culture in Singapore, and Oman will be one of the contributors...We hope the Kampong Glam area will become more vibrant, reminding us of our Arab roots,' he said.

SM Goh, however, said they had not worked out where in Singapore the dhow would be displayed.

'They said the dhow is best preserved on dry land instead of on water. The exact place will have to be worked out.'

Asked if the ship might also revive the defunct maritime museum in Singapore, he said no one has yet worked out how to make such a museum sustainable.

A maritime museum on Sentosa was closed in 2001, although Resorts World Sentosa has indicated that it plans to have one as part of its integrated resort.

Said SM Goh: 'It is an idea which we have been looking at...the difficulty is how to make it sustainable in terms of attracting interest. Singaporeans and, in fact, tourists don't want to go to a museum to see lifeless pieces of ceramics.'

He had a brief tour of the 18m ship which was built with traditional materials, using traditional methods.

He lauded its construction as an engineering marvel, but added that 'the important part is that we want to see its arrival in Singapore. Not just see it docked over here'.

Later, at a gala dinner for the launch, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed, who accompanied SM Goh on the visit, hailed the project as a landmark in ties between Singapore and Oman.

'The sailing of the dhow, aptly named the Jewel of Muscat, is more than a powerful symbol of the relations between our two countries. It reflects a determination to recreate the historical bilateral and regional links between us,' he said.

SM Goh leaves Oman for Bahrain today.

- end of ST article