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CNA
an hour ago
- Business
- CNA
IN FOCUS: Subletting of hawker stalls an 'open secret' despite decade-long ban
SINGAPORE: After closing a Western food stall at a coffee shop last year, Mr Ng set his sights on a new goal – opening a hawker stall with his wife to sell artisanal and traditional coffee. Rather than bid for a tender through the National Environment Agency (NEA), the 31-year-old visited about 10 hawker centres to look for a stall to sublet. 'The only reason why I'll choose to sublet is because … good places will never be given up,' said Mr Ng, who did not want his full name published. Although Singapore prohibits the subletting of hawker stalls, the practice has persisted. Experts say it undermines the intent of hawker centres, which are meant to offer affordable food and support small-scale entrepreneurship. 'If the government were to allow subletting, it would attract a more commercially oriented type of vendor, the same sort of people who are already in the food courts and the kopitiams,' said National University of Singapore (NUS) economist Ivan Png. Such vendors would 'price more commercially' and food costs would go up, he added. Experts also point to the principle at stake – that subsidised hawker stalls should not be used for private gain. But most of the 20 hawkers CNA spoke to said it is an 'open secret' that under-the-table subletting arrangements are common across hawker centres. The ban on subletting was introduced in 2012. Stallholders were given a three-year grace period to adjust, and current rules require successful tenderers or their registered joint operators to personally run the stall for at least four hours daily. BETTER LOCATION, HIGHER FOOTFALL Mr Ng said he would prefer to go through NEA's official tender process if better locations were available. 'At the end of the day … that stall is not yours. So anytime, if the real owner wants to take back right, there's nothing you can do,' he said about sublet stalls. But the stalls available for tender are often not ideal, Mr Ng said. 'You know every single shop will 'toh' one, what's the point?' he said, using the Hokkien term for 'fail'. He has been quoted S$8,000 (US$6,300) to sublet a popular stall in Chinatown, and as low as S$2,000 for stalls in less crowded areas. The median rent for non-subsidised hawker stalls has remained at around S$1,250 monthly between 2015 and 2023, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said earlier this year. Those on the subsidised rental scheme typically pay S$192, S$320 or S$384 per month, Ms Fu said in a parliamentary response in 2023. But as older hawkers retired, the proportion of subsidised stallholders fell from 40 per cent in 2013 to 30 per cent over the same period. Mr Melvin Chew, who runs Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck and Kway Chap at Chinatown Complex, said most prime-location stalls are still held by older hawkers. 'You can hardly tender for such good location unless the existing hawkers are willing to give up or return to NEA,' said the 47-year-old. 'So most people will hunt for such stalls.' COMPETITIVE BIDS The limited number of stalls available for tender means that bidding can be competitive. Mr Tan, a hawker who sublet a stall to sell Chinese desserts, said bids for government-run hawker stalls were 'way too high' for him. People often bid 'crazy' prices, the 39-year-old added. In one 2024 case, a stall at Marine Parade Central drew a record bid of over S$10,000. Dr Koh Poh Koon, the senior minister of state for the environment ministry then, said that such bids were outliers and 'not the norm'. How to bid for a hawker stall through NEA NEA holds tender exercises for vacant stalls on its website, typically from the 13th to the 26th of every month. The five highest bids are published about one week after the tender closes, and the final results are released five to seven weeks later. There are no minimum bid prices and stalls are awarded to the highest qualifying bid. Successful bid prices are also published on NEA's website as a reference to guide future tenderers. In November last year, NEA revised its rental renewal policy to reduce inflated bids. Previously, tenderers could put in high bids to secure the stall, as their tendered rent would be adjusted downwards to the assessed market rate after three years. Now, rental for the second tenancy term is adjusted downwards by 50 per cent of the difference between the tendered and assessed market rates. But Mr Tan said many available stalls were designated for Halal or Indian food, which he did not want to sell. Of 34 stalls in the latest tender in July, 26 stalls were designated as such. Mr Tan, who sublets a stall at a hawker centre in the west, pays about S$4,100 for rent, while the original stallholder pays about S$2,600. 'I have no choice, because these people don't let go,' he said. 'How I get to bid, I can't bid at all, right?' Some see subletting as more affordable than renting from privately run coffee shops. One hawker who wanted to be known only as Tim said he pays a 'reasonable' S$3,000 a month to sublet a hawker stall in Bukit Merah. The 34-year-old, who runs a noodles stall, said he sees subletting as a 'win-win' solution. 'I pay less rent and my business is good. At the same time, I managed to help the stall owner so that they don't have to work already.' He pointed out that many veteran hawkers have been working for decades and still need income in their retirement. 'You are killing people's careers and lives if you don't let them sublet,' he said. 'If they return (the stall) to NEA, what do they do? They still have things to pay for in life.' Anecdotally, most stallholders who rent out their stalls are older hawkers seeking passive income. While most sublet their stall for slightly higher than what they pay for rent, some 'spoil market' by charging 'very high prices', said Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck's Mr Chew, who also founded the Facebook group Hawkers United - Dabao 2020. Under the Hawker's Succession Scheme, veteran hawkers planning to retire can pass down their skills, recipes and stalls to aspiring hawkers. Those who return their stall to NEA and exit the trade receive a one-off ex gratia payment of S$23,000. But many see the payout as modest compared to what they can earn by renting out the stall or arranging a private takeover. In such takeovers, buyers pay an agreed fee directly to the original stallholder before applying for a transfer of ownership. A hawker in his early 60s told CNA he put his drinks stall up for takeover at around S$80,000. After 40 years in the trade, he hopes to retire due to poor health. With help from a property agent, he has received a few enquiries so far. FINDINGS STALLS TO SUBLET Former hawker Khoo Keat Hwee, who used to run Mentai-Ya Japanese Cuisine, said it is common for those seeking stalls to visit hawker centres in person. He recalled being approached several times a year by property agents. Mr Khoo, 38, who is now an F&B consultant, said the 'most ridiculous' quote he heard was S$8,500 a month to rent a stall at a hawker centre in Bedok. CNA also found listings for hawker stalls on platforms such as Carousell and Facebook, with monthly rents ranging from S$2,900 for a stall in Jurong West to S$4,000 for one near Rochor. One Toa Payoh stall was listed for takeover at a staggering S$168,888. In the past year, there were at least 10 such posts in a Facebook group, seven listings on Carousell and one on property platform Carousell said sellers are responsible for ensuring listings comply with local laws, and it is 'not privy to and not in a position to enforce' third-party agreements. Facebook and did not respond to queries. KNOCK-ON EFFECT ON PRICES Some argue that subletting helps preserve variety in hawker centres. Food critic KF Seetoh said it can 'add to the colour of the culture'. 'It's a win-win for both original hawkers and the new player, and customers won't really care much as long as food is affordable and good,' he said. But others warn of a knock-on effect on prices. Mr Khoo said sublet stalls tend to charge more. For example, a plate of chicken rice may be priced at S$5 to S$6 compared with the national average of S$3.80 in 2023. 'The whole ecosystem will be affected,' he said. 'At the end of the day, food prices will not be as cheap or as affordable as they're supposed to be.' Mr Ng, the hawker looking for a stall to sublet, acknowledged that if he were to pay a much higher rent, he would need to price his coffee higher. 'I'll need to cut down my cost to maybe S$3 a cup. That's also very expensive for iced coffee,' he said. Dr Tan Ern Ser, adjunct principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, pointed out that subletting was banned to curb rental hikes, which could ultimately drive up food prices. Allowing subletting would run counter to the intent behind hawker centres, which is to encourage entrepreneurship and preserve hawker culture, he added. LOOPHOLES AND ENFORCEMENT In March, Dr Koh said in a Facebook post that detecting subletting 'isn't always straightforward'. 'Subletting is done under the table, and NEA has to conduct thorough investigations to uncover and substantiate such cases,' he said. Requiring stallholders to physically operate their stalls remains the 'most practical and fair way' of preventing subletting. In 2024, NEA identified and warned more than 230 stalls that were not personally operated by registered stallholders. More than 100 terminated their tenancy. Others resumed personal operations or provided valid reasons for their absence, such as medical conditions, Dr Koh said. Earlier this week, I explained in Parliament the importance of NEA requiring a hawker to personally operate a stall in... Posted by Koh Poh Koon - 许宝琨 on Friday, March 14, 2025 In response to CNA's queries, NEA said it conducts thorough investigations to uncover and substantiate subletting cases. This includes gathering photo evidence, conducting interviews and performing repeated checks before action is taken. Members of the public who suspect a hawker stall is subletting can inform NEA, which will look into cases that have reasonable grounds for investigation, the agency said. Still, hawkers told CNA that some stallholders register sublessees as workers to evade detection. An ayam penyet hawker in his 40s told CNA he is looking to rent out one of the two stalls he has for about S$4,000 a month, despite paying only S$2,000 for it. To avoid detection, he plans to register the sublessees as his workers, keeping the stall under his name. 'The only difference is they get the income,' he said. When asked how he would respond to government inspectors, he replied: 'The ruling is you have to be at the stall. We are at the stall.' Tim, the hawker subletting in Bukit Merah, said the original stallholder is present almost daily and remains on-site when inspectors visit. Such inspections are conducted regularly and at random times. Veteran hawker Niven Leong of Sin Kee Famous Chicken Rice said many enter the trade as entrepreneurs, not traditional hawkers. 'I am a businessman, I'm not a hawker,' said the 65-year-old of such hawkers. 'The mentality is different.' "GRASPING SAND" In March, a hawker's Facebook complaint that his pregnant wife was 'forced' to man their stall in Yishun sparked renewed scrutiny of the rules. Experts say enforcement is no simple task. NEA oversees over 6,000 cooked food stalls across 123 markets and hawker centres. Author and researcher Ryan Kueh, who wrote From Streets to Stalls, said enforcement must be balanced with empathy for older hawkers who have legitimate reasons for not being able to operate their stalls personally. 'I do think NEA does its best to look at this on a case-by-case basis,' he said. 'Obviously, there will always be individuals who try and test the system, and I do think those individuals should be clamped down on hard.' Assistant Professor of Urban Studies Aidan Wong from the Singapore Management University likened the situation to 'grasping sand'. 'Too loose, and you get the problems of this idea that widespread subletting is occurring. Hold it too tightly, and you disincentivise any form of public hawkering,' he said. Adjunct Associate Professor Terence Ho from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS added that subletting could make it more difficult for genuine hawkers to obtain a stall. Unlike coffee shops, hawker stalls are intended to provide Singaporeans with the opportunity to run a small food business, he said. 'There is an element of wanting to preserve Singapore's distinctive hawker heritage, rather than have big chains with hired workers take over the running of hawker stalls,' he added. Younger hawkers are already feeling its effects. 'We can't go in, the barrier is getting higher,' said Mr Tan, the Chinese desserts hawker. Big players with deeper pockets will be able to bid higher prices and crowd out new entrants, he added. Mr Ng, the hawker searching for a stall to sublet for his artisanal coffee business, still hopes to run his own stall one day. While he acknowledges that the current system makes it difficult for younger hawkers to enter the trade, he said he understands why some choose to sublet their stalls for passive income. 'Humans are humans. Nobody will say no to money,' he said, adding that a harsh clampdown on subletting could have unintended consequences. 'It might actually make a lot of people lose their rice bowl.'
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Marcos wants Siquijor power normalized by year-end
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. on Monday said he wants the power services in Siquijor province to be normalized before the year ends, as he said refunds should be made to consumers if needed following the rotational brownouts that plagued the province in May. In his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos said the administration will ensure that facilities are established for long-term gains and to avoid a repeat of the power crisis that hit the province in May. 'Ipinag-utos ko sa DOE, NEA, at ERC na pabalikin sa normal ang serbisyo ng kuryente sa Siquijor bago matapos ang taon. Titiyakin namin na maitatatag agad ang mga pasilidad para sa pangmatagalang lunas sa kanilang problema sa kuryente,' he said. 'Hindi na dapat itong maulit muli. limbestigahan ang naging kapabayaan nito, at ang iba pang mga katulad na kaso sa buong bansa. Dapat nilang ayusin ang pamamahala ng mga kumpanya ng kuryente, at ipag-utos ang pag-refund kung kinakailangan. (I have ordered the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Electrification Administration (NEA), and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to restore electricity services in Siquijor to normal before the end of the year. We will ensure that facilities are immediately established to provide a long-term solution to their power problems. This must never happen again. We will investigate the negligence involved in this case, as well as similar incidents across the country. These agencies must fix the management of power companies and mandate refunds if necessary.) To recall, Siquijor had rotational brownouts since May 13, 2025, prompting the Siquijor provincial government to declare a state of calamity. In June, Marcos inspected the Siquijor Island Power Corp. (SIPCOR) power plant in the province, and directed an investigation on its operations amid the power issues. He also said he is open to the possibility of having another power provider in the province. 'Sa ginawa nating imbestigasyon, ano 'yung ating natuklasan? Mga expired na permit. Mga sirang generator na halatang napabayaan, kaya sunod-sunod na bumibigay. Mabagal na aksyon, at kawalan ng maayos na sistema na pagbili ng krudo at mga piyesa,' he said Monday. (With the investigation we conducted, what did we uncover? Expired permits. Broken generators clearly neglected which is why they failed one after another. Slow response and the absence of a proper system for procuring fuel and spare parts.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
CNA
2 days ago
- General
- CNA
New Mandai crematorium and ash-scattering garden to open on Aug 15
SINGAPORE: A new crematorium and ash-scattering garden will open in Mandai on Aug 15, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Monday (Jul 28). Located next to the existing Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium complex, the new Mandai North Crematorium will use automated guided vehicles to transport coffins and lockers for ash collection. It has six service and viewing halls and can house 18 cremators, but will begin operations with three halls equipped with nine cremators. It will start with four cremation services daily and ramp up progressively in the coming months. NEA said it will fit out the remaining halls and add the additional cremators to meet an anticipated increase in demand for cremations in future. For comparison, the existing crematorium, which opened in 2004, has four halls and 12 cremators. The crematorium and garden span about 2.4ha, slightly more than half the size of the Padang. Annual resident deaths are expected to increase from about 25,000 in 2024 to around 40,000 by 2040, NEA said. Meanwhile, the demand for inland ash scattering has increased from around 900 applications in 2021 to over 2,300 in 2024. 'The new crematorium will provide additional cremation capacity, and the (Garden of Serenity) will provide an additional option for the inland scattering of ashes,' said NEA. 'They will enable us to continue serving the nation's needs in the years ahead.' Bookings for cremation slots will open on Aug 9, and the crematorium and garden will be open daily. The garden will be open from 9am to 5.30pm except when it is closed for maintenance. Singapore also has two private crematoriums, but NEA handles more than 90 per cent of cremations. ASH-SCATTERING GARDEN The Garden of Serenity is the second inland ash-scattering garden in Singapore, after the Garden of Peace opened in 2021 in Choa Chu Kang. Ashes can also be scattered at sea or stored in columbariums or at home. The Garden of Serenity, which is within the new Mandai North facility, has four ash-scattering lanes in the shape of a leaf. Granite boulders that were excavated during its construction, which started in 2017, are used for seating along the lanes. The garden also features a pond and lush foliage, meant to create a peaceful and dignified environment. Each lane in the garden is named after a flower and is around 10m long. Ashes can be scattered on pebbles, which sit atop granite chippings and soil. Water sprinklers or canisters can be used to help the ashes filter through the layers. Religious ceremonies or rites, including the burning of joss sticks, leaving of food offerings and playing of music will not be allowed. However, fresh flowers can be placed on racks around the garden. At 750 sqm, the Garden of Serenity is much smaller than the Garden of Peace, which is 9,500 sqm in size. NEA said that accumulated "ash soil" will periodically be transferred from the Garden of Serenity in Mandai to a designated location in the Garden of Peace in Choa Chu Kang to ensure that people can continue to use the smaller garden. The fee for ash-scattering at the gardens is S$320. AUTOMATION, QR CODES Mandai North Crematorium will make use of technology to ensure service reliability, including through the use of automated guided vehicles to transport coffins. At the existing crematorium, staff members push a trolley carrying the coffin. Funeral service providers will receive a cremation permit with a QR code, which must be scanned outside the service hall to ensure that the casket is at the right hall at the right time. The automated guided vehicle and screen outside the service hall will also reflect the deceased's name, the date and the time, before the casket is unloaded from the hearse. A QR code on the automated vehicle will be used for verification before the coffin is placed into a cremator. Attendees will then need to be seated before the automated guided vehicle transports the casket to the front of the service hall. The service halls feature slopes instead of steps, to improve accessibility for wheelchair users. At the new facility, the viewing hall – where mourners watch the casket being transported toward the cremators – is located directly in front of the service hall. This is unlike the existing Mandai Crematorium, where the service halls are a distance away from the viewing halls. NEA said the building layout was designed to minimise walking distances, especially for elderly visitors. "A one-way visitor circulation flow caters to back-to-back cremation services, minimising the need for arriving and departing groups to cross paths. This arrangement provides a degree of privacy for each group of visitors and facilitates a sense of closure for the bereaved," the agency said. The new waiting halls at Mandai North Crematorium are also enclosed with glass panels to provide more privacy to families. When the cremated remains are ready, an ash collection permit with a QR code will be sent via email. The registration process will involve verifying the applicant's identity, before a queue number is provided and an ash-sorting room is assigned. When the queue number is called, family members can scan a QR code to unlock a locker containing the ash box. There are three walls of lockers, and the lockers open one at a time for each wall. Families can perform final rites in the ash-sorting room. Each room is equipped with a table, a bench and a wash basin.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- General
- Straits Times
New Mandai North Crematorium, ash-scattering garden to open on Aug 15
Find out what's new on ST website and app. SINGAPORE – The new Mandai North Crematorium and an ash-scattering garden will open on Aug 15, built in anticipation of more annual deaths with Singapore's ageing population. The crematorium will be the country's fourth such facility, and the second to be overseen by the Government. Bookings for available cremation slots will be released from Aug 9. The current sole government-operated crematorium, Mandai Crematorium, handles more than 90 per cent of all cremations in Singapore. The rest are done in two private crematoriums. There were 26,442 deaths in Singapore in 2024, and this is projected to rise to about 40,000 by 2040, according to the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. The new Garden of Serenity is Singapore's second inland ash-scattering facility, following the opening of the first in Choa Chu Kang Cemetery in 2021. The new garden is approximately 750 sq m in size. The demand for inland ash scattering has risen, with such requests almost tripling from 900 in 2021 to more than 2,300 in 2024 , the National Environment Agency (NEA) told The Straits Times in May. The new crematorium and garden will enable the Government to continue serving the nation's needs in the years ahead, NEA said in a statement on July 28. The cost to scatter the ashes at either garden is $320. The garden is open from 9am to 5.30pm daily. The Garden of Serenity is located right beside the new crematorium to give easy access to those who wish to scatter their loved one's ashes immediately. A nearby carpark ensures the garden is accessible to those who bring the ashes from home. At the garden, there are four lanes lined with pebbles for families to scatter the ashes. Trees and hedges are planted in between the lanes to provide privacy for families . Similar to the Garden of Peace in Choa Chu Kang, religious ceremonies or rites such as the burning of joss sticks, food offerings or playing of music are not allowed within the garden, to maintain a clean and serene environment. Families and visitors can use a prayer facility beside the garden to conduct simple rites. A section of the Garden of Serenity, where ash can be scattered on the stretch of pebbles provided. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM Users can apply for ash scattering on NEA's ePortal, The Mandai North Crematorium has been in the works since 2017, but was completed only in 2024 due to issues with construction. The new facilities span approximately 2.4ha. The crematorium houses six service halls and 18 cremators. Currently, three service halls are equipped with nine cremators, and the remaining halls will be filled out at a later date. The new cremation facility has fitted automated guided vehicles to transport coffins from the hearse to the service hall. At the existing crematorium, this is usually done via a trolley that is pushed manually. A self-help system is in place at the ash collection centre to enable family members to collect their loved one's ashes with ease. The Government is studying two sites in Tanah Merah and Mandai for the potential development of a new funeral services and columbarium complex, to meet an expected increase in demand for after-death facilities. 'NEA will continue to plan ahead to ensure sufficient government after-death facilities and services, and to provide these services in a way that allows bereaved families to come together to send off their loved ones with dignity and respect,' the agency said.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Cheapening ‘genocide', strip the NEA of its charter and other commentary
Mideast beat: Cheapening 'Genocide' 'There is a glaring dissonance to the charge that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza,' contends The New York Times' Bret Stephens. 'Why isn't the death count higher?' After all, 'it's not that Israel lacks the capacity to have meted vastly greater destruction.' The answer: 'Of course' Israel is 'manifestly not committing genocide,' and the deaths in Gaza are just a side effect of war. 'What is unusual,' though, 'is the cynical and criminal way Hamas has chosen to wage war': embedding itself in civilian areas and hoarding food aid. 'The war in Gaza should be brought to an end in a way that ensures it is never repeated. To call it a genocide does nothing to advance that aim, except to dilute the meaning of a word we cannot afford to cheapen.' Education beat: Strip the NEA of Its Charter The National Education Association is facing a move 'to revoke [its] national charter,' enthuse Daniel Buck & Anna Low at National Review. Though federal charters are 'largely symbolic,' they're not 'powerless.' Charter holders have a 'special national distinction' that helps them raise money. But today's NEA is 'a lobbying and funding juggernaut with almost 3 million members,' and though ostensibly an educational organization, 'its real purpose is political.' Over 97% of the 'millions' it spends on lobbying and donations goes to Democrats, and its 'calls to action' are always for liberal causes. If Congress chooses not to revoke the charter, it could still at least 'place limitations on the NEA's lobbying and political activity.' Foreign desk: Ukrainian Unity Is Unbreakable 'Russia wants to break the Ukrainian will as it seeks to dismantle Ukrainian identity,' thunders The Wall Street Journal's Jillian Kay Melchior, noting Vladimir Putin's relentless 'missile and drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital and other cities.' Yet instead of the attacks breaking their will, many 'enraged' civilians 'donate to support the military,' and 'the raids could boost voluntary enlistment.' Bottom line: Ukrainians are 'becoming more united.' There's little doubt that, 'Putin wants to erode the American and European will to arm Ukraine' by 'promoting the myth that Russian momentum is unstoppable and Russian victory is inevitable.' Zelensky adviser Mykhailo Podolyak admits, 'We're not winning right now' — but he also adds: 'Moscow isn't winning either.' Advertisement From the right: Dem Hypocrisy on ICE Agents' Masks Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and her fellow Democrats are hypocrites for saying ICE agents 'spread fear in immigrant communities,' thunders the Washington Examiner. That's because Dems like them are the ones who 'amplify hoaxes and demonize law enforcement officers' — by saying that 'masked men in unmarked cars' are 'kidnapping people.' ICE agents who wear masks have genuine security concerns. Considering that 'activists in Portland have been posting ICE agents' addresses in officers' neighborhoods,' officers' 'desire for anonymity' is 'understandable.' If Bass is so concerned about calming people's nerves, she 'could start by not spreading illegal immigrant hoaxes.' Her labeling of federal law-enforcement officers as 'outrageous and un-American' puts them 'in danger and makes donning a mask a necessary precaution to protect their families.' Libertarian: Bleak Path to Fixing Social Security 'With neither Democrats nor Republicans appearing willing to reduce benefits or increase the retirement age, the only way to make Social Security solvent is to increase revenue,' reports Reason's Jack Nicastro. 'While this can be done, it will come at the great financial detriment of young people entering the work force.' Calculations show that 'to eliminate Social Security's projected $25 trillion deficit over the next 75 years while maintaining planned benefits,' payroll taxes would need to be increased from 12.4% percent to 16.05%. Other options would be 'lifting the income ceiling on the payroll tax and borrowing to cover deficits.' The latter could 'precipitate a systemic debt crisis in the U.S.' and 'massive inflation . . . resulting in another situation in which working-age people are forced to subsidize the retirements of the elderly.' — Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
