Geylang Serai community hub to finally open doors in May
Wisma Geylang Serai will house the new Geylang Serai Community Club, family service centre, a senior care centre, among others. Photo: Toh Ee Ming/TODAY
SINGAPORE — After several delays since it was first announced in 2011, Geylang Serai’s new community civic hub, will finally open its doors to the public from May this year by hosting the annual Hari Raya Bazaar.
Wisma Geylang Serai, a five-storey centre developed by the People’s Association, will house the new Geylang Serai Community Club, family service centre, a senior care centre, an open public plaza where community activities can be held, and arts studios for arts groups, where they can “experiment with new art forms and integrate with traditional arts forms”.
A Malay heritage gallery curating the area’s history will also be part of the showcase, said Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs Mohamad Maliki Osman on Friday (Feb 9). Dr Maliki, who oversees the redevelopment project, was giving the media an update on its progress.
Groups of young people — whether they are youths keen on trying their hand at opening small businesses, or young buskers looking for a place to sing or practise their dance moves — are also welcome in the space, he added.
Dr Maliki, who is also Mayor for the South East District, also announced the setting up of a new 21-member Programme Advisory Committee for the centre. Comprising of representatives from the Malay-Muslim community leaders and the PA’s Malay Activity Executive Committees Council (Mesra), the advisory committee will work across Government agencies to share ideas and feedback.
The hub, which sits on the former Malay Village, can be the “pulse of Malay life” which people can be excited about and also be reminded about the past, added Dr Maliki. He also hoped others, such as tourists or non-Malay Singaporeans, would also be keen to visit the space to find out more about the Malay community.
Joining Dr Malik on the tour, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Chan Chun Sing, who is also PA’s deputy chairman, noted that a lot of thought has been put in to make the hub a welcoming space,
Such a "fully integrated complex" that is not isolated from the rest of the community would allow for all Singaporeans, “especially for the Malay Muslim community to participate in the creation” of programmes, he said.
The hub, which was first announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the National Day Rally in August 2011, has seen its completion date pushed back several times — from 2016 to 2017, and finally to this year.
Explaining the delays, Dr Maliki said a lot of “ground work” had to be done between 2011 and 2015, which involved research, consultation with historians, students who interviewed people who used to live in Geylang Serai, so they could “understand the place well enough” before coming up with a concept.
Following that, the two-and-a-half year time frame is a “typical duration in any construction timeline ... which we were comfortable with,” he said.
To encourage more visitors to head to the centre, a link bridge has been constructed between the nearby Geylang Serai Market and the hub. It is expected to be open to the public by the second quarter of this year.
Residents and regular visitors interviewed by TODAY said they look forward to it opening and bringing new life to the area. They also welcomed the preservation of the uniquely Malay character and heritage of the area.
Geylang Serai Market stallholder Syed Alwi, 24, said it would provide an additional hang-out spot, and wondered if there would be spaces for karaoke.
Volunteer coordinator Julia Ng, 26, who works in the area, said she would be keen on taking her clients to the heritage gallery for a visit as it would be an eye opening experience for them to “learn about the Malay culture”.
“It would be good if there are a lot more new facilities (to try out),” she said.
