Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Geylang Serai Cultural Belt on Jun. 10, 2023, where he sang a P Ramlee Song, "Getaran Jiwa", and talked about bringing back the golden age of Geylang Serai.

In his speech, Tharman shared how Geylang Serai was part of the many histories that makes Singapore; "a microcosm of multicultural Singapore".

While Geylang Serai became a hub and was predominantly populated with people from the Malay community, Tharman pointed out that it was a multicultural community.

He stated that people of all races and religions live there, where they have "vibrant" Chinese festivals and several Chinese Taoist temples.

"There were many different histories that all came together to form a rich multicultural Singaporean heritage," Tharman said.

In addition, Tharman addresses Geylang Serai's history as an entertainment district, where he shared that in the 1950s, Singapore was at the centre of the Malay film and music industry.

This led to him showing off his singing skills.

Tharman serenades the crowd

Tharman sang a song by P Ramlee, a legendary Malaysian actor, director and musician who sang hundreds of songs, and starred in over 60 movies.

The song Tharman sang was "Getaran Jiwa", which translates to "Stirring of the Soul".

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Wisma Geylang Serai (@wgeylangserai)

As Tharman sang the first line, the crowd in attendance clapped and cheered for him. When he finished singing, he joked that he needed to continue his speech.

"It's nicer to sing at night," he joked.

Tharman also shared that he wrote a Facebook post in April 2023 about P Ramlee and was "struck" by the response to the post.

"From people of all races in fact, and many of them wanted us to do more to record his legacy permanently for future generations," Tharman said.

Tharman spoke of other talents, such as Saloma, herself a well-known singer and actress from Pasir Panjang who eventually married P Ramlee.

He also highlighted the socially conscious angles of P Ramlee's creative works, and how P Ramlee brought "joy and tears" to people of all races in Singapore.

Tharman recently announced his intention to resign from his government positions, and his role as a Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC.

This will allow him to run in the upcoming presidential election, after President Halimah Yacob announced that she would not be seeking another term.

Related stories:

Top photos via Wisma Geylang Serai/Instagram