Faishal makes surprise appearance at Yishun getai show, wows audience with Hokkien song

Getai goers in Yishun were pleasantly surprised when Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim appeared on stage at a show on Monday night (Aug 19). 

The four-and-a-half-hour long show, which started at 6pm, was held at the open space at Block 724 Yishun Street 71 and saw over 300 attendees, reported Shin Min Daily News. 

Assoc Prof Faishal, who is also an MP in Nee Soon GRC, entered the venue at about 7.40pm, and was greeted with a resounding applause from the audience members. 

Accompanied by the organisers of the getai show, Assoc Prof Faishal made his rounds around the different tables, and was egged on to sing a song. 

With the encouragement of that night's host Lee Pei Fen, Assoc Prof Faishal stepped onto the stage and greeted the audience in Mandarin, wishing them good health and prosperity. 

He then began singing the popular Hokkien song, I Ask Heaven, which earned more cheers and support. Some of them also began waving their phones and even sang along with the Minister of State. 

After staying at the event for another 20 minutes, Assoc Prof Faishal reportedly left for a Meet-The-People Session. 

Resident calls police on show 

The audience members might have enjoyed the show, but some other residents didn't seem to appreciate the noise — and reportedly called the police to intervene. 

Barely an hour after the show started on Monday evening, two police officers showed up at the venue and spoke to the person-in-charge. They also briefly inspected the stage set up before leaving. 

The getai organiser told Shin Min that the police were checking if the organiser had a permit, and were looking at the number of speakers onstage. 

"We cooperated with their checks, and they left after ensuring we complied with the rules and regulations." 

READ ALSO: 'My parents said it'll be a tough road': Getai singer an NUS grad who quit engineering job to pursue music dream

claudiatan@asiaone.com