Singapore is turning more sensible to its historical heritage. The 2012 edition of “Monument Open House” is organised by the Preservation of Monuments Board (PMB). The entity is Singapore’s national authority safe guarding the City-State national monuments.
SINGAPORE – Close to 70 national monuments stand in Singapore standing under the jurisdiction of the Preservation of Monuments Board (PMB), Singapore’s national authority safeguarding national monuments. PMB was set up in 1971 to protect old buildings seen as an important part of the country’s collective shared memories. The task of PMB is to raise awareness among Singaporeans by providing information about how they came to be and shaped Singapore’s own multi cultural heritage. Among PMB National Monuments are religious buildings of all faith, schools, cinemas, hotels or public institutions such as the former Parliament, the Victoria Theatre or Singapore National Museum.
Riding on the success of the inaugural Monument Open House in 2011, PMB organised once again the event for a second edition which will provide opportunities to celebrate and admire the architectural beauty of these unique landmarks. A series of free walking guided tours and bus tours (with a modest fee of S$ 5) will be conducted on November 17 and 18. Special events will also be proposed such as a free outdoor movie screening of The Cathay-Keris Malay film classic Mat Bond (1967) directed by M. Amin and Mat Sentol, in Malay with English subtitles at the Handy Road Open Park, in front of The famed Cathay Cinema. During the two celebration days, “ Wedding Portraits at National Monuments” will be a special photo exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore on 17-18 Nov.
The bus guided tours will propose:
- Monuments of the Chinese Community will help visitors to discover the significance of the former headquarters for Sun Yat Sen’s political activities in Southeast Asia during the early 20th century to the oldest Buddhist temple inSingapore. There will be a rare chance to visit the House of Tan Yeok Nee, built in 1882, and the last remaining residence of traditional Southern Chinese style inSingapore.
- ‘Of Brick and Mortar’ looks at the origins of St George’s Church and Prinsep Street Presbyterian Church, both known for their distinctive red brick façade? What about Command House, the former headquarters of the British Malayan Command, and at one time one of the largest houses inSingapore.
- A Community Connection: a tour to learn more about two monuments that held important functions in the lives of Hakka immigrants and the Malay-Muslim community: Ying Fo Fui Kun, founded by immigrants from theGuangzhouprovinceofChina, and one of the oldest clans inSingaporeand the Abdul Gafoor Mosque, built to serve the needs of the community.
- Monuments of Faith 1 will look a the monuments that have played an important role in the Jewish and Catholic community. The Maghain Aboth Synagogue will only accessible to tour participants.
- Monuments of Faith 2 look at other monuments that played an important role in the Jewish, Taoist and Catholic community. The Chesed-El Synagogue will be exceptionally open to tour participants.
However both tours are reserved only to Singaporean nationals and registered foreigners living in the country for security reasons.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
