THE PROPOSALS
Mr Leong and PSP NCMP Hazel Poa laid out several policy proposals.
Among these was Mr Leong’s suggestion that each cooked food hawker stall, including drinks and cut fruit stalls, should be allowed to employ one work permit holder as a stall assistant, to help with the manpower crunch.
Responding to this suggestion, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Koh Poh Koon said that a “full liberalisation” for foreign manpower may “alter the nature of our hawker centres significantly”, a change that some Singaporeans may not be able to accept.
He added that the recent announcement that hawker stalls will be allowed to hire long-term visit pass holders as assistants from Jan 1 next year is a way the government is trying to strike a balance.
Another suggestion Mr Leong made was that the government move away from the tendering model for hawker centre stalls altogether.
“Instead, we propose a more flexible rent model with the aim of lowering rent and curbing excessive speculation in coffee shops,” he said.
Dr Koh defended the current bidding system, which he said is open, transparent and straightforward.
“It’s not a complicated system. A bidding system enables market mechanisms to work at hawker centres,” he added.
“The process encourages prospective hawkers that are committed and serious to come forward and submit a bid.”
Ms Poa proposed a central procurement system for hawker centres, where a government agency can contract wholesalers to supply hawkers with cheaper ingredients through bulk purchasing.
Dr Koh said that some of these hawker centres have offered bulk purchasing services, but the take-up has not been widespread.
“Most already have established relationships with their existing suppliers, or are quite particular about the source and quality of the ingredients,” he said.
