SINGAPORE: Last month, food guru and Makansutra owner Kf Seetoh, who has long been a champion of Singapore’s hawkers, expressed dismay over the high rental price for the stalls at the Geylang Serai Ramadan bazaar, said to be at least $18,000 a month.
In a more recent Facebook post, Mr Seetoh noted that the bazaar is said to have had three million visitors, including some very high profile ones such as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife, Madam Ho Ching, as well as Deputy Prime Ministers Heng Swee Keat and Lawrence Wong and other Members of Parliament from the PAP.
However, he added, “but I doubt all actually buy anything.”
Mr Seetoh went on to write, “As many are still struggling and even regretting setting up shop. I urge you to go support too..as this question is begging to be asked..
Why does the People’s Association deem it fitting that the price of the roadside pasar malam (night market) space need be $2.26 million?”
Mr Seetoh included a screenshot of the invitation to tender for this year’s bazaar, issued by the People’s Association. It showed that it had been awarded to S-Lite Event Support Pte Ltd, for the amount of $2,263,000.00 on Jan 19 of this year.
“These kinda dollar pressures are passed down to the people and I pray it does not set a precedent for the other agencies to keep up.
Why does celebrating our national culture and festivals need to be such an expensive affair?
I hope PA can help answer and share clarity here.”
In a Facebook post on Mar 21, Mr Seetoh had written, with obvious dismay, “$18,000 a mth a stall, for the Geylang Serai Ramadan bazaar, easily, the world’s most expensive pasar malam stall offering an unproportionately cheap menu. Even top pop-up markets in prime time New York or LA cannot hold a candle to this.
Justifying our world’s most expensive city reputation i guess. How did we get here?”
/TISG