KF Seetoh: I hope when PM said ‘inclusive’ he meant all, including struggling hawkers and small businesses

SINGAPORE: Food guru KF Seetoh referred back to newly-minted Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s speech at his Swearing-In Ceremony last Wednesday, with the Makansutra founder putting in a word for struggling businesses, particularly those in the hawker trade.

“I hope when PM said ‘inclusive,’ he meant all, including the struggling micro, small & medium companies and retailers.

We already know their costs of operation is high yet the many clueless public still expects low prices, esp at the hawkers,” wrote Mr Seetoh in a Facebook post on Monday morning (May 20).

Mr Seetoh added that to obtain stalls, hawkers place bids via the National Environment Agency (NEA), which manages the 119 markets and hawker centres in the country.

“IT’S NOT SUBSIDIZED. A kopi stall at Golden Mile fc won the bid at $6000” monthly rental, he added, in reference to the highest bid for a hawker stall from October of last year. The high amount came as a shock to many in Singapore.

Read related: Bid for hawker stall at Golden Mile Food Centre reaches S$6K/month

The food guru underlined that hawkers also face another “dead end” with manpower problems, writing that it’s nearly “impossible to hire able foreigners who want it.”

Mr Seetoh also appealed for front-facing service and physically demanding jobs in hawker stalls not to be reserved for Singaporeans, especially those who are older, as it could be very dangerous for them to be working around hot water and oils.

He ended his post by writing, “If your ministry’s groundwork feedback tells you Singaporeans are hard up for these jobs, then, they too did not walk the ground and feel the pulse nor hear the problems.

I don’t know which they walked. Do you know (how) ugly our service industry and culture is? (don’t let the tourists know).

Help the humble small business folks thrive and survive. They look up to you. And please do away with the high levies imposed on these necessary foreign staff… it’s not a good habit.”

PM Wong said in his speech:

“We can build a Singapore where everyone succeeds in being the best possible versions of themselves. We can be a people who are more:

Inclusive
Gracious
and Big-Hearted

We can be a society where every Singaporean matters.  And a Singapore that matters to every Singaporean.” /TISG

Read also: IN FULL: Newly minted PM Lawrence Wong’s swearing-in ceremony speech