NTU History (HH3009)
THE PONDOK PERANAKAN GELAM CLUB
A Pondok in Chinatown
The Pondok Pernakan Gelam Club was established in 1914 but registered as a club in 1932. Formally located at 64 Club Street, Chinatown, the Pondok's location was an anomaly, considering most of the Pondoks were located in the Little India region. It is not clear why a Boyanese Pondok was established in a majority Chinese neighborhood, however, based on oral accounts and research, there are two potential reasons why members decided to settle themselves in the area.
Based on its namesake, many clubs occupied the shophouses in the area. These ranged from trade guilds to clubs exclusively for the upper echelons of society. These clubs would include the Chinese Weekly Entertainment Club founded by wealthy Peranakan businessman, Sir Song Ong Siang in 1839 and Ee Hoe Hean , established in 1895 by wealthy Hokkien Merchants (the club relocated to Bukit Pasoh in 1925 where it is today). The area was well known for being the residential area for the Chinese elites.
Given the socio-economic demographic of the area, many of these wealthy men would have employed a host of servants to work in their households. It could have been possible that the Boyanese living in PPGC could have worked for these wealthy families who lived nearby. The Pondok could have been established out of convenience, given that their place of employment was near their homes.
Click the circles below to view the various clubs in the area
(Below) Photo Courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore
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NAMING OF THE CLUB
Peranakan ?
The name of the club is something of great interest to many who first hear it. According to Mr Ismail, a former resident of the club, the original name of the was the Pondok Gelam Club but was later changed to add the term "Peranakan" when the club registered itself.
The term "Peranakan" is used in reference to either straits-born Chinese or individuals with mixed heritage (E.g Chitties, Jawi Peranakan and Eurasian Peranakan). However, in the case of the Pondok Peranakan Club, the term simply referred to the ethnically diverse makeup of its residents.
Most of the residences remained Boyanese. That being said, there were instances in which the makeup of the Pondoks included individuals from different ethnicities. These consisted of two types of residents. First, travelers or migrants from different backgrounds who would sought temporary shelters in the PPGC. This would include Chinese and Malay seafarer who needed temporary lodging. Second, inter-ethnic marriages between the Boyanese and the Jawanese became common. Newly married couples would move into the Pondok.
INSIDE THE PPCG
Everyday life of Members
Residents stayed in a 2 story Pre-War shophouse. The first floor was occupied by single males while the second floor was reserved for families. Smaller "Rooms" were created by partitioning off segments of the second story using bedsheets and furniture. (refer to picture in the section entitled "Functions of the Pondok)
The segregation of the sexes was mandatory based on Boyanese social mores. Other areas of the Pondok such as the living room, kitchen and the toilets were communal spaces. Everyone had to pitch in and help in maintaining the Pondok's affairs. There were approximately 40 families.
The Pak Lurah, Pak Dambong, was responsible for the Pondok's daily affairs.
Picture courtesy of Singapore's Heritage: Through Places of Historical Interest
A symbol of Racial Harmony
IMPACT OF LIVING IN CHINATOWN
The Pondok was a symbol of racial co-existence and harmony. Interactions between the Chinese, Boyanese and other ethnicities during the 1900s ,and even up till the 1970s, were plenty. According to oral accounts given by Mr Ismail, there were no disagreements between the residents and the Pondok's Chinese neighbours. "We had lived there since young, therefore, we do not feel out of place. We had friendly relations with the Chinese", Mr Ismail recalls. (translated from Malay)
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The close interaction between both group even culminated in the Chinese picking up the Boyanese language. In times of trouble, the Chinese provided shelter for their Boyanese neighbours in both 1945, from the Malayan Communist Party guerrillas and Chinese triad members, and in 1964, during the racial riots.
Picture Courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore
(First Picture Below) Club Street in the 1980s, (Second Picture Below) Picture of Present Day Club Street
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Internal and External Manifestations
IMPACT IN TERMS OF SPACE
The impact of the Pondok on the Boyanese community can be assessed in two ways, within the Pondok (internally) and its existence in a majority Chinese neighbourhood (externally).
Within the Pondok itself, the close proximity of the Boyanese to each other allowed them to retain their culture in the face of growing assimilation with the Malay community. Despite inter-ethnic marriage and the rise of literacy in Malay, the Pondoks were vital spaces where the Boyanese could speak their language, eat traditional Boyanese cuisine, speak about politics back home and retain a close connection to the heritage and the island that they left behind.
Within the context of Chinatown, the presence of the Boyanese community within a majority Chinese neighbourhood allowed for the Boyanese to integrate within the daunting migrant culture of Singapore and even foster a strong bond with their neighbours while sharing a part of the Boyanese culture with them through language.
Hence, the PPGC (and potentially other Pondoks) acted as both a space where Boyanese culture was retained and emitted.