Pondok Peranakan Gelam Club

The Pondok Peranakan Gelam Club is a community club for the Bawean Malay community. Established on 4 April 1932, the organisation served as a communal home for Baweanese immigrants from the 1930s to the 1960s. Originally located at 64 Club Street, it moved to its current location at the Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre at 20 Upper Pickering Street in 2000. The National Heritage Board designated the original pondok building a historic site in 2000. Baweanese migrants Beginning in the nineteenth century, Baweanese migrants came to Singapore from Pulau Bawean, an island north of Java and south of Kalimantan, Indonesia, in search of better economic opportunities. They stayed in pondoks or lodges such as at Minto Road, Palembang Road and Everton Road. These pondoks served not just as shelters for the new immigrants but also as institutions of communal support and welfare for the Baweanese community. One such pondok was the Pondok Peranakan Gelam Club at Club Street, which housed some 200 Baweanese residents, equivalent to about 40 families. Description Pondok or ponthuk means “hut” in Malay but has taken on the meaning of a communal home or, in the case of the Baweanese community in Singapore, a lodging house. The pondok at Club Street was a typical large pre-war shophouse. It consisted of several cubicles for different families, with a shared kitchen and toilets. Married couples used the bedrooms on the upper floors while children and unmarried adults used the lower floor and slept on wooden platforms. As the number of incoming Baweanese immigrants grew over time, the pondok became overcrowded. The pondok system operated based on religious values and the upholding of a community or gotong-royong spirit. Residents living in the same pondok were close-knit and provided mutual help and support in settling down and adapting to life in Singapore, even assisting new migrants in looking for employment in the city. As a result, Baweanese migrants were often found in the same type of jobs, typically as drivers, gardeners and syces. Each pondok had a chief called the Pak Lurah who was the authority in charge of the welfare of the pondok residents, financial and religious matters, as well as serving as an advisor on matters of daily life. The residents of each pondok were governed by strict rules and regulations that helped to maintain harmonious living. For example, punishments were given to those who threatened other residents and such punishments would be decided by the pondok members. History As a Malay-centred communal facility in a pre-dominantly Chinese area, the pondok has a history as a symbol of racial co-existence and harmony. During the 1945 racial riots, pondok residents were protected from Malayan Communist Party guerrillas and Chinese triad members by their Chinese neighbours. They were given the same protection again during the 1964 racial riots. During the 1960s, the pondok ceased to serve as a communal home due to the relocation of its residents to apartments built by the public housing authority, the Housing Development Board (HDB), and became more of a community club that organised educational, social and recreational activities for members and non-members. In 1969, membership was extended beyond the Baweanese community to all Singapore residents. By the 1970s, club membership had grown to 700. One of the advantages of membership was an unusual fringe benefit whereby the club settled all traffic fines incurred by its members up to a limit of $50, provided the member could prove that he was not at fault. Such assistance was introduced when the club was first established because many of its members were drivers and peons. However, it was abolished in 1984, as it was considered a financial burden and contrary to the club’s constitution, which dictated that club funds could not be used to pay the fines of members found guilty in court. In 2000, the club moved to Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre at Upper Pickering Street. The last resident of the pondok was Suki Sitri, who had lived at the club for 60 years. That same year, the original pondok building at Club Street was declared a historic site by the National Heritage Board and underwent restoration. The current community club at Upper Pickering Street continues to serve community services and organise recreational activities such as arts and culture, sports and wellness programmes for senior citizens as well as committees for women and youths. http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1791_2011-03-02.html