Discover, Learn and Be Amazed!
Embark on an adventure where each step echoes with whispers of the Malay past; where every detail tells of an origin story waiting to be heard. Pulau Penyengat invites you to unravel its history – an immersive experience that will astound visitors to its shores.
The Pulau Penyengat Initiative
The Pulau Penyengat Initiative was one from among a series of proposed follow-ups triggered by the Problem-Scoping Workshop focusing on the Singaporean Malay-Muslim Community organised by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) in 2018.
Participants at the time focused on a finding from a recently concluded IPS study on Malay Youth Identity. The research concluded that Malay youths are displaying increasing ambivalence in the appreciation of their ethnic community. During the focus group discussions, young people from the community revealed that while they feel proud of being a member of the ethnic group in one instance, they immediately feel shameful of the community’s lack of success at the next. They also displayed a tendency to ‘swing’ on issues such as admiring the community’s inherent sense of humility yet despising its inability to be more assertive when competing for its share of the ‘economic pie’. Participants of the workshop came to the consensus that if unchecked, the ‘narrative’ that may predominantly develop among young members of the community is one which generalises Malays as not being as capable as the other ethnic groups; or one which possesses inferior traits which makes its members fall behind in the race for progress compared to others in the nation.
Significance of Pulau Penyengat
Pulau Penyengat, which is located just off Indonesia’s Bintan Island, is accessible from Singapore in less than 2 hours via a comfortable ferry ride. What has been largely untold is that the island has very strong historical links to the Singaporean Malay community in terms of its past glory as a civilisation dominating the Johore-Riau-Lingga region. In the 19th century, Pulau Penyengat became established as the administrative, cultural and intellectual centre of the Johore Empire constituting cities such as Melaka and Singapore. It was a fortress housing royal figures, administrative buildings, a grand mosque, a royal library and a printing press.
Unfortunately, feedback from young members of Singapore’s Malay community indicate that local knowledge of the ethnic group’s history began only during the period when the Sultan and Temenggong signed the Treaty of 1819 with Stamford Raffles allowing the British to establish their factory on the island. This event marked the beginning where members of the ethnic group then progressively see themselves as a ‘declining’ community. Over the years, this has been attributed as a factor which, in effect, created a ‘lesser inspired’ ethnic community.
Nevertheless, such a perception may change if Singapore Malays are exposed to an ‘Origin Story’ which can be traced back further to a period reflecting the epitome of Malay civilisation, specifically during the ethnic group’s existence in Pulau Penyengat. This may serve to instil pride and subsequently improve the cumulative psyche of the minority community. In the long run, the change to a more positive perception of their history may re-orientate young Malays towards a more positively driven appreciation of their community and identity.
This initiative thus seeks to raise awareness of Pulau Penyengat’s significant contributions to the golden age of Malay civilisation among the Singaporean Malay community. These include means such as creating awareness of the island’s rich history as well as promoting the island as an educational destination for our students regardless of ethnic background.
Programmes & Workshops
The Pulau Penyengat Cultural Experience
This is a 1-day learning journey that caters to visitors wanting to deepen their knowledge of Malay culture and history. The first half of the programme comprises a tour of the island’s historical sites lead by English-speaking tour guides who are themselves residents of the island.
The second half of the learning journey involves a Malay Cultural Showcase which presents a series of segments that highlights and explains various aspects of Malay culture such as the meanings and symbols involved in a Malay wedding, the traditional Zapin dance, the silat movements, as well as Malay etiquette. The programme will end with participants experiencing the taste of a buffet of traditional Malay kuehs.
The Penyengat English Language Programme
This is an initiative that attempts to improve the employment potential of local Pulau Penyengat youths by way of a structured English Language Conversation Programme. Those who graduate from the 3 level curriculum can then use their new credentials to work as tour guides or embark on other relevant careers. Students also automatically become members of the Penyengat English Language Club.
The Community Solutioning Workshops
This series of workshops focuses on generating ground-up solutions to problems currently faced in establishing and promoting the tourism industry in Pulau Penyengat. The objective of these 1.5 day workshops is to identify and prioritize challenges faced by stakeholders of the tourism industry in the context of Pulau Penyengat’s local community.
Consensus arising from these events will subsequently form the framework and rationale for follow-up activities organised as part of the proposed solutions offered by participants. The programme will be based on a combination of the following processes: conscientisation techniques, design and systems thinking, and rapid consensus-building approaches.
Our Itinerary
Itinerary for a full day cultural experience programme led by our very own Penyengat Island English-speaking residents.
9.00am - 12.00pm
Visits to historical sites such as Bukit Kursi, Riau Grand Mosque,Rushdiyah Club
12.00pm - 2.00pm
Lunch and souvenir shopping at own cost at any of our many establishments
2.00pm - 5.00pm
Cultural Showcase of Malay practices and traditional kuih tasting at Balai Adat
Price per pax
$60.00 SGD
(only for full day cultural experience programme)
Inclusive of pompong (boat) and becak ride.
Please register by scanning on this QR code.
Our logo depicts a formation of books and pens to represent the recording and sharing of knowledge. The compass-like configuration signifies the geographical sources of influence within the Nusantara region. The show of 4 ‘books’ serves not only to portray a subtle form of the company’s initials N & C, but to also reflect, at a deeper level, one of its primary missions which is to reveal the hidden legacies of the Nusantara. The lettering is influenced by multiple forms of written scripts used in the region, past and present.
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