SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife, Madam Ho Ching, were recently seen at the Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar.
A video of PM Lee and Mdm Ho was shared on the Singapore Incidents Facebook and Instagram pages. They appear to have chosen to keep masking while out in public.
Food guru KF Seetoh wrote in a Facebook post on Mar 22, “$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.”
However, by Apr 4, Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim wrote that vendors he had talked to during visits to the bazaar said their businesses were doing “very well, and some have even covered their rental cost after a week.”
He was quoted two days later in The Straits Times, covering Assoc Prof Faishal’s remarks that over two million people had visited the bazaar since it opened on Mar 17.
But on the same day, CNA also ran an article quoting a hawker who said, “We’re all losing money. (We) cannot cover costs, cannot even cover rent.”
Several high-profile figures have been spotted in the bazaar lately.
On Apr 13, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat was also seen visiting the bazaar, accompanied by an entourage.
And on Monday (Apr 17), Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong posted a video on TikTok showing himself trying out lato-lato with some “young friends.”
@lawrencewongst Trying out lato-lato with some young friends at the Geylang Serai Bazaar. It’s harder than it looks! #geylangseraibazaar #latolato #singapore
PM Lee and Mdm Ho are right in time to catch the last days of the bazaar, which is open for a record 36 days this year and boasts 700 stalls. It usually closes right before midnight, but on Hari Raya on April 22, it will be open until 6:00 am. /TISG
Heng Swee Keat spotted at Geylang Serai bazaar after Lawrence Wong and other PAP MPs