PM Lawrence Wong at the Launch of the Iconic Arch at Geylang Serai Cultural Belt

My Cabinet and Parliamentary colleagues,
Distinguished guests,

Selamat sejahtera. Good evening. I am happy to join you at Geylang Serai this evening. Let me say a few words in Malay before I continue in English.

Saya tahu Geylang Serai adalah tempat istimewa bagi ramai orang, terutama, bagi masyarakat Melayu kita.

Pemerintah komited untuk menyokong aspirasi dan harapan anda bagi Geylang Serai. Itulah sebabnya kami memulakan projek Jalur Budaya Geylang Serai. Projek ini meraikan warisan budaya Melayu dan menyediakan kemudahan moden di kawasan ini.

Malam ini kita berkumpul untuk meraikan selesainya inisiatif-inisiatif terbaharu. Anda boleh lihat beberapa perubahan di sekeliling kita. Tetapi ada lagi yang akan datang. Kami akan pastikan Geylang Serai kekal istimewa, bukan sahaja untuk masyarakat Melayu malah semua rakyat Singapura. Terima kasih.

Tonight, we are here to celebrate the old and the new – the rich heritage of Geylang Serai, as well as the completion of the latest rejuvenation works for the Geylang Serai Cultural Belt.

As we all know, Geylang Serai has a long history; and also a special place in the hearts of our Singapore Malay community.

It was one of Singapore’s oldest Malay settlements, dating back to the 1840s, when the orang laut settled on the banks of the Geylang River.

It became famous as the “Malay emporium” of Singapore, and it attracted travellers from across the region, including Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

As Singapore developed over the years and decades, so too did Geylang Serai. And you saw from the pictures how rapid the development was.

The Geylang Serai Housing Redevelopment Scheme began in 1963. It started to transform the entire area into a modern housing estate. The original Malay kampung residents moved out to HDB towns all over the island — and they were able to improve their lives and living conditions.

Geylang Serai market opened a year later in 1964. It has been upgraded multiple times over the years, and it continues to be key node of activity in the area.

Then by the 1980s, we had shopping centres like Joo Chiat Complex, where we are now, and Tanjong Katong Complex, which was the first air-conditioned HDB shopping complex in Singapore.

So over time, farms and kampungs have given way to HDB flats and shopping centres.

Today, Geylang Serai is no longer an enclave, and it has become a well-integrated community reflecting our multi-racial and multi-religious society.

Yet Geylang Serai retains its cultural distinctiveness, uniqueness and identity.

I speak from my own experience. As many of you know, my mother and my grandfather came from Kampong Amber not so far away. When they moved out from Kampong Amber, the whole family generally moved to areas in the east. My own family to Marine Parade, many of them to East Coast. But whenever we want good Malay food, we always come back to Geylang Serai Food Centre and the nearby Haig Road Food Centre. I may be biased, but all the best Malay food stalls are here, including my favourite putu piring stall — now it has become very famous, apparently. I think all the best stalls are in Geylang Serai, either at Geylang Serai Food Centre or Haig Road Food Centre.

Of course the biggest Hari Raya Bazaar is held here every year, and it attracts Singaporeans from all walks of life, who soak in the ethnic mood and the festive spirit.

The Government is fully committed to ensuring that Geylang Serai will continue to have the best of the new and the old – a vibrant place with modern amenities, and also one that retains its distinctive Malay heritage.

That’s why we developed Wisma Geylang Serai as the key landmark and centrepiece of the precinct.

Geylang Serai CC and the Southeast CDC have also been co-located at WGS.

So this has become the beating heart of the area, serving multiple functions. It is a civic centre for the precinct; it is a one-stop service centre for the Malay/Muslim community, and it is also a centre for all residents in the wider district.

Beyond WGS, we embarked on the Geylang Serai Cultural Belt project, to revitalise the entire area while preserving its unique character. As you heard from Dr Maliki, the first key initiative under the Cultural Belt, Anjung@WGS, was completed two years ago — I understand it has become a popular space, often fully booked for a wide range of events from weddings to sporting events and Malay cultural performances.

Today, we mark the completion of the latest initiatives for the Geylang Serai Cultural Belt. You can already see the improvements all around us — here, at Joo Chiat Complex; across the road, at Geylang Serai Market; and behind us, we have the Iconic Arch, which we will be unveiling tonight — it’s design reflects traditional Malay architecture, and there is a new painted road junction, which is an identity marker for the area.

I thank everyone who has been involved in this project. Minister Maliki has been overseeing the project since its launch. The People’s Association, in particular the Precinct Team, has been serving as the secretariat for the project. Many other government agencies have been involved, you heard all the acronyms just now from Dr Maliki. And of course, we have the young architects themselves, the consultants and project managers, and we are also grateful for the various donors, volunteers and partners. This is truly an example of how the community, government, and private sector can come together to make Singapore a better place for us all. So thank you everyone for your contributions!

We have taken many steps to improve Geylang Serai, but we are not finished yet. There are still improvements coming. The Cultural Belt stretches from Tanjong Katong Complex all the way to Kampong Ubi Community Centre. We have started with initiatives to rejuvenate the core of the Cultural Belt, which is where we are now. But to the east and west, there are still many possibilities for us to make this Cultural Belt come alive – not just as a modern and vibrant neighbourhood, but one which keeps Malay heritage and culture alive in Singapore.

As you heard just now, we will share more about these plans when they are ready, including the upcoming plans for Tanjong Katong Complex.

The success of these plans depends on the support and participation of all Singaporeans.

Precinct improvements are not just a matter of hardware and infrastructure.

It’s the people who make the difference.

So we need all your active participation — to make this a vibrant precinct — one that celebrates our Malay culture and heritage, but also one that brings together all our different communities together in a spirit of inclusiveness and solidarity, reflecting what is truly special in Singapore. One united people, regardless of race, language or religion.

Together, we can make Geylang Serai a living testament to our cultural heritage, and a place which all Singaporeans can be proud of! Thank you very much.

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