Speech by Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence, Mr Zaqy Mohamad, at the official opening of Jamae Chulia Heritage

Haji Abdul Razak Maricar,

Chairman, Warees Investments

Warees Board of Directors,

Haji Saat Abdul Rahman,

President of MUIS

Haji Kadir Maideen,

Chief Executive of MUIS

MUIS Council Members, Esteemed Community Leaders, Parliamentary Colleagues, Partners, Ladies and Gentlemen

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh. And a very good afternoon to all of you.

A new building, a much longer story

1. Today, we officially open Jamae Chulia Heritage – a new development with a 90-key serviced residence, retail and dining spaces – on land that holds a much longer story.
   

2. Right beside us stands Masjid Jamae (Chulia), or Periya Palli, as generations have known it. This year, it turns 200 – two centuries of faith and community in this part of Singapore.
   

3. The early Chulia community lived, worked and traded around these streets. They put down roots and built institutions. And through wakaf, they set aside assets to benefit generations beyond their own. Today, we are the beneficiaries of that foresight. And on the same wakaf land, something new has been built for the future.

They built more than livelihoods

4. The early Chulias came largely from the Coromandel Coast. Many were traders and moneychangers. But they did more than build livelihoods. They built a community.
   

5. Under pioneers such as Anser Sahib from Pulicat, they established places of worship and institutions that continue to serve us today. Even the name of Mosque Street shows how deeply the Indian Muslim community is woven into this neighbourhood. Together with Al-Abrar Mosque and Nagore Dargah, these institutions tell a story of faith, enterprise and service. A mural beside us by local artists Mr Benedict Tay and Mr Lucas Goh, commissioned by Warees Investments with the Urban Redevelopment Authority, depicts the spice journey of early Indian Muslim settlers.
   

6. That story did not end with the pioneers. Generations of trustees, mosque leaders, donors and volunteers continued caring for these institutions, ensuring they remained relevant to the community.

Rooted in our identity, part of the Singapore story

7. The Chulia community kept its faith and traditions, yet put down roots and lived alongside other communities. An image from the 1840s shows Masjid Jamae (Chulia) and Sri Mariamman Temple along the same stretch of South Bridge Road. Both remain part of this neighbourhood today.
   

8. Singapore’s diversity is not new. Our roots and our openness to others do not compete. They strengthen one another. We want our Muslim community to be confident in our faith and identity, while remaining open and contributing fully to the wider society.

Knowing what should endure, and what must evolve

9. Respecting our inheritance does not mean keeping everything exactly as we found it. What is entrusted to us is an amanah, and good stewardship means ensuring it continues to serve its purpose. A confident community must know what should endure, and what must evolve.
   

10. Our values and purpose remain. But our institutions and assets must respond to changing needs.
    

11. Jamae Chulia Heritage shows how this can be done. The development conserves the shophouses along Pagoda Street and connects them to the new building along Mosque Street. It is the fourth Wakaf Revitalisation Scheme project by Warees Investments, after The Red House, Alias Villas and Bencoolen. The form may change. The purpose endures.
    

12. This project reflects the shared commitment of MUIS and Warees Investments to renew our wakaf assets while preserving their heritage and purpose. Under the National Heritage Board’s Place Plan process, it also opens opportunities to work with Chinatown stakeholders to promote heritage and commerce culture, bringing new vibrancy to the district.

The next chapter belongs to the next generation

13. Today should also make us look ahead – especially to our young people, including our young Indian Muslims. I want them to know this story not simply because it tells them where they came from, but because it shows them how their forefathers have contributed to Singapore and to the wider community.
    

14. I hope Jamae Chulia Heritage becomes a place where younger Singaporeans can experience this history and connect with their heritage. The new dining and events space, with the Community Plaza at Masjid Jamae (Chulia), can become a focal point for the community to celebrate its heritage and culture.
    

15. Those who came before were people of faith, but also of enterprise, initiative and service. Strong roots should give our young the confidence to engage the world and contribute to society. Our young people are not simply inheritors of this story. They are its next authors.

Carrying the legacy forward

16. Beside us is a mosque that has served generations for two centuries. Around us is a new development built for the needs of today and tomorrow. We do not have to choose between honouring our past and preparing for our future. We must do both.
    

17. To the pioneers who laid these foundations, the generations who sustained them, today’s mosque and community leaders, MUIS, Warees Investments, and all our partners who have carried this legacy forward – thank you.
    

18. May we remain rooted in what matters, have the confidence to renew what must change, and leave the next generation something even stronger to build upon.
    

19. Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh. Thank you.