Comments
KF Seetoh criticises NEA’s hawker stall rule, calls for policy rethink
Veteran food critic KF Seetoh has criticised the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) rule requiring hawkers to be physically present at their stalls, calling it “cruel” and unfair to those with legitimate well-being needs. His comments came after Senior Minister of State Dr Koh Poh Koon defended the policy in Parliament.
Veteran food critic KF Seetoh has criticised a longstanding rule requiring hawkers to personally operate their stalls, arguing that its rigid enforcement is unfair to those with genuine well-being needs.
His remarks came in response to Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Dr Koh Poh Koon’s recent statement defending the policy in Parliament.
On 10 March, Dr Koh addressed concerns raised by Members of Parliament regarding the rule, which applies to hawkers operating in National Environment Agency (NEA)-managed centres.
He reiterated that stallholders must be physically present to prevent subletting and rental profiteering. Hawkers whose businesses expand significantly beyond their stalls should consider leaving the system, he added.
“For those unable to personally operate their stalls, they may relinquish them or hand them over to a family member,” Dr Koh stated.
Koh dismisses hawker Noorman Mubarak’s “one-sided story,” stresses NEA policy ensures fairness
He highlighted the case of hawker Noorman Mubarak, whose wife operates a stall at Yishun Park Hawker Centre and is currently pregnant.
Mubarak had publicly criticised NEA’s rules, claiming they forced his wife to work despite her condition.
Dr Koh dismissed Mubarak’s complaint as a “one-sided story” and clarified that NEA had allowed her to nominate someone to take over the stall.
“But instead of accepting that as a legitimate option, they chose to go on social media and portray NEA as unhelpful,” he said.
He also pointed out that Mubarak owns around 20 food and beverage establishments outside the NEA system, in addition to his stalls in hawker centres.
While acknowledging that successful hawkers deserve recognition, Dr Koh maintained that public hawker centres should not serve the interests of private chain owners.
He emphasised that NEA’s policies ensure fairness by preventing individuals from exploiting the system.
Criticism of focus on infrastructure over cultural preservation
Seetoh responded in a Facebook post, agreeing that hawker centres should not be used to expand chain businesses.
However, he argued that NEA already has rules preventing such practices, noting that no hawker can operate more than two stalls in public hawker centres.
He questioned the necessity of enforcing the physical presence rule so strictly, calling it “cruel.”
“Even if Noorman’s wife is not pregnant, they have a right to well-being needs and take emergency days off, just like you when you ran your clinic. We are all human,” he wrote, addressing Dr Koh.
Seetoh suggested that NEA should issue warnings and suspend licences only after repeated violations, rather than imposing rigid rules that may harm small business owners.
He also defended successful hawkers like Mubarak, arguing that they contribute significantly to Singapore’s economy by creating jobs and supporting suppliers.
“Noorman’s 20 other stalls provide employment for at least 60 people, plus their suppliers. Laud him for that. Please don’t use it as a premise to finger them for gaming your system,” he wrote.
Beyond the issue of enforcement, Seetoh criticised the government’s broader approach to hawker culture.
He accused agencies like NEA of focusing too much on infrastructure improvements rather than preserving and nurturing Singapore’s UNESCO-recognised hawker culture.
“Even your superior, Minister Grace Fu, when asked what can be done about protecting and preserving hawker culture, talked about how $1 billion will be spent on hawker centre improvements—cleaner spaces, big fans, trash, ventilation, and cleaning. No insights about shoring up the UNESCO-class hawker culture we so dearly achieved,” he stated.
Seetoh called for a policy rethink and proposed a town hall discussion with hawkers to gather feedback before making further regulations.
He urged the government to engage hawkers directly to ensure policies support both small business owners and Singapore’s broader food culture.
