Koh Poh Koon says having hawkers physically present at stalls is best way to prevent ‘gaming the system’

SINGAPORE: In Parliament on Monday (Mar 10), Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Koh Poh Koon addressed an issue that had gone viral last month, after a hawker posted a photo of his heavily pregnant wife standing in their stall.

Noorman Mubarak, whose family operates Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang at Yishun Park Hawker Centre, claimed that the National Environment Agency (NEA) requires hawkers to be present at their stalls every day and wrote in a Facebook post that they had received a warning that said they were violating their tenancy agreement “by not being in the stall physically.”

Following this, some Members of Parliament filed questions seeking clarification on this requirement.

In response, Dr Koh called the post “one-sided” because the family had been given the option by NEA to appoint a joint stall operator or a nominee if the owner, who in this case is Mr Noorman’s wife, is unable to be there. NEA had said that stall owners are required to be physically present to prevent subletting.

He further pointed out that Mr Noorman has two to three stalls in NEA hawker centres and as many as 21 registered stalls in other venues.

“If a member’s business has grown to a size where they are actually unable to split the time properly, and they have to focus their time more on the businesses outside the hawker centres, then I think it’s time for them to really take a hard look and see whether where their main revenue source is coming from,” CNA quotes Dr Koh as saying. He added that these members may end up having to relinquish lower-rent NEA stalls to others who need them more.

He underlined the importance of “maintaining fairness” in the industry, as well as the need to prevent those who would game the system by profiteering from subletting. Otherwise, there would practically be no difference between hawker centres and other food and beverage establishments, “eroding the authenticity” of the hawker culture.

“Over time, our hawker culture will be diluted, shifting from passionate hawkers serving their own dishes to our customers to businesses just prioritising efficiency and scale over heritage and quality,” he added.

Dr Koh also said that hawkers who want to expand their operations have the option to move out of NEA-run centres where they are not subject to restrictions. /TISG

Read also: NEA says hawker who posted about pregnant wife being required to be at stall daily may appoint joint operator