PM Lee Hsien Loong at the Hari Raya Light-Up at Geylang Serai on 4 June 2016

Good evening friends in Geylang Serai, residents, grassroots leaders. Let me start with a few words in Malay.

Salam sejahtera para hadirin sekelian. Saya senang hati, malam ini, saya dapat bersama anda semua di majlis istimewa ini. Tadi, Professor Fatimah ada pantun. Saya juga patut ada pantun sepatah dua.

Beras secupak tangan menampung, 
Diulek serai dan daun kari;
Tetangga lama jemput ke kampung,
Girangnya hati datang ke mari.

Kali terakhir saya rasmikan hiasan lampu di Geylang Serai ialah 12 tahun lalu, tahun 2004. Tetapi, dua tahun lepas, saya dan isteri saya, Ho Ching, sempat jalan-jalan di Bazar Raya ini. Tahun ini memang istimewa. Lihatlah di sekeliling anda. Hiasan lampunya, lebih meriah dan sungguh berwarna-warni. Cantik sekali! Saya gembira tahun demi tahun hiasan lampu dan bazar di Geylang Serai, terus popular di kalangan orang Melayu dan juga bukan Melayu, dari Singapura dan saya percaya dari seberang tambak juga, dari Johor.

Tahniah saya ucapkan kepada pihak penganjur yang bertungkus-lumus mempersiapkan projek ini agar kita semua dapat bersama-sama, menyambut dan meraikan bulan Ramadan serta Hari Raya Aidilfitri dengan meriah. Terima kasih.

. . . . . . . . . .

Friends and ladies and gentlemen, just a few a words to say how happy I am to be here, to be invited back to the old Geylang Serai kampung and to see it beautifully lit up for Ramadan and Hari Raya. I last came for the Opening Light-Up of Geylang Serai back in 2004. That was 12 years ago. Two years ago I came to walk around – jalan-jalan – the bazaar, and buy a few things, and I am glad to be back this evening to see it beautifully done, bigger scale, more interesting activities, and all the stalls taken up. I hope many residents and visitors from across the Causeway will come and will enjoy the bazaar here. It is a way we grow in Singapore, it is a way we celebrate our multi-cultural heritage and richness in Singapore. It is a way we come together and enjoy each other’s important days and come together more closely as one Singapore.

So thank you very much, have a very good evening and to all of you, Malays, Muslims and non-Muslims, I wish you a happy Ramadan and a happy Hari Raya. Thank you very much.

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