SINGAPORE: Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat has been spotted at the Geylang Serai bazaar, after his party members – including PM-designate Lawrence Wong – thronged to the night market after news reports emerged that some vendors are struggling to cope with high rental fees.
Accompanied by an entourage, Mr Heng was seen greeting visitors and vendors at the bazaar on Thursday (Apr 13). A video of his appearance at the market has been circulating on Facebook since yesterday (Apr 15).
Mr Heng was tipped to be the frontrunner in the race to be Singapore’s next Prime Minister, until he vacated his position as leader of the ruling party’s fourth-generation of leaders (4G), sometime after the 2020 general election. The mantle was passed on to Mr Wong, who was also spotted at the Geylang Serai market, this week.
The appearance of the 4G leaders at the market perhaps indicates that the Government has a keen interest in the success of the Geylang Serai bazaar.
Other People’s Action Party (PAP) politicians – such as Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman, and Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad – also visited the market, days after Channel News Asia published a report on how some vendors are regretting taking stalls due to the high cost of rental and poorer footfall compared to previous years.
Mr Hasan, who sells kebab at his ‘Hasan Istanbul Kebab’ stall, told the news outlet that he regrets renting a stall at the market this year. Revealing that he paid a whopping $25,000 just for rental, he told CNA: “We’re all losing money. (We) cannot cover costs, cannot even cover rent.”
A stallholder selling Ramly burgers nearby, who paid $20,000 for renting his stall, added: “We regret taking it this year. It was okay in previous years.”
Several stallholders told CNA reporters that there appeared to be fewer visitors this year, while the reporters noticed no queues at most stalls in the vicinity, unlike in previous years.
Minister of State Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, who serves as lead adviser of Wisma Geylang Serai, has however said that Bazaar Raya Geylang Serai has attracted about 3 million visitors so far.