SM Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Groundbreaking Ceremony of Geylang Serai Cultural Belt

Dr. Maliki Osman, Dr. Wan Rizal, Shamsul Kamar,

And our distinguished community leaders and everyone who is here.

(Greetings in Malay)

Happy to be here at this groundbreaking for this latest phase of the rejuvenation as well as the bringing back of the golden era of Geylang Serai -- the golden era that Dr. Maliki spoke about. Not just to remember [it], but to also bring it back. I must say it is a worthwhile project.

Dr Maliki had described why it is so important not merely for the Singapore Malay community. Because Geylang Serai is part of the many histories that makes Singapore. It is a microcosm of multicultural Singapore. That’s what it was. Significantly populated with people who came from the Malay world, I think initially the Javanese Muslims coming back from pilgrimage and then many of them found work in Singapore. Subsequently when we grew the areas nearby such as the development of Kallang Airport and other developments, there were more people from the Malay community who settled around Geylang Serai. So it became a hub for the Malay community.

But it wasn't just a Malay community. It was actually a multicultural community – for example around Lorong Enku 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 distinctiveness of Singapore. There were many different histories that all came together to form a rich multicultural Singaporean heritage. 

Of course, Geylang Serai was also an entertainment district - film, music. It was always there, with performing troops that kept coming through and performing in the public spaces. And there was of course film, and we have to remember that in the 1950s, Singapore was the centre of the Malay film and music industry. 

And no one more prominent than P Ramlee, whom we must never forget. We will do something in Singapore to permanently record the legacy of P Ramlee and his contributions to Singapore. 

There has been simply no one like him ever since. Sheer genius, but sheer genius in so many different areas. Singer, songwriter - in fact, he wrote and sang a few hundred songs, and starred in roughly 66 movies and in fact directed many.

Other exceptional talents grew together with him. Like Saloma, for instance, who grew up in Pasir Panjang and she herself became a very well-known singer and actress. Eventually they got married. But there were many others. They all grew together. At the centre of action was Jalan Ampas of Balestier Road where the Malay film production studio was - the Shaw Brothers ran it. So that was P Ramlee: music, and in every area of film, in acting and directing. There has been no one like him. 

What was very important is that he was something for people of all races in Singapore. He brought joy and tears to everyone. And those of us who were old enough to have been around in those days can remember that. [He] always focused on the ordinary person: both the humour and the sad stories about the ordinary people. There was always a socially conscious angle. Even in his comedies there was a social angle to it. So, he was really someone special. 

I do not know amongst those sitting in front how many of you can remember Getaran Jiwa – the ‘stirring of the soul’ for those who are not familiar. It was a stirring song.

Remember:

Getaran Jiwa

Melanda Hatiku

Tersusun Nada

Irama dan Iagu

Simple songs stirring the soul, stirring the heart. I recently wrote a Facebook post on P Ramlee and I was struck by the response I got. From people of all races in fact, and many of them wanted us to do more to record his legacy permanently for future generations.

I have discussed it with the ministers, Dr. Maliki, Minister Masagos, and Minister Edwin Tong. The ministries have agreed that we will do something to record for posterity the P Ramlee legacy, not just as some figment of the past, but as a continuing part of Singapore's multicultural culture. An inter-agency committee has been set up with MCCY, National Heritage Board, National Library Board and others. They will be consulting the public and once the plans are firmed up as to what we will do and they will of course be announced.

I am very happy that we are doing this, and it is not just for the Malay community. It is for Singapore's multicultural legacy to be appreciated, and to live on. That is our aim. And I hear by the way that Wisma Geylang Serai will be screening P Ramlee movies on the big screen at Persada Budaya on alternate Saturdays, starting from July.

Dr. Maliki has spoken about the new and latest phase of this cultural belt so I would not go over the same ground. When PM announced it in 2018, we were very serious. COVID set us back somewhat, like many other things in Singapore. But we are now proceeding apace. And there will be many features of this district that will make it distinctive. And I just want to end by thanking everyone who contributed. There were about 10,000 people who took part in this whole process, providing feedback and ideas. There was a design competition held and many young architects and designers took part. Thank you for to all who took part, not just the winners. And I extend my congratulations, of course to BDP architects for a splendid winning design.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of this project of revitalising Geylang Serai. I am sure it will thrive and be a microcosm in Singapore that we all participate in and take pride in.

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• Arts, culture and heritage

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