Are you a hawker, a
budding hawker or a patron? No matter whom you are, we can all now look forward
to a more vibrant hawker scene.
Not just a place to
eat, hawker centres with a conscience will be newly built at several towns
–Bukit Panjang, Tampines, Jurong West, Admiralty, Pasir Ris, and Punggol –
within the next 10 years.
Run by a social
enterprise or cooperative, these hawker centres set out with the aim to meet a
threefold bottom line – making profits, creating social improvements, and
achieving environmental sustainability.
Making Profits
A few slices of thin
cucumber, a few pieces of meat – with such paltry ingredients, we, as typical
hawker patrons, often supposed that the profit margin for hawkers should be
rather handsome. However, that is not the case. Many humble hawkers struggle to
make ends meet.
“As sub-tenants, our cost is higher so it is hard for
us to keep food prices low” Li Hui Xing, a sub-tenant of a stall selling rojak
and porridge in Chomp Chomp Food Centre, expressed.
By and large, for the
private gains of the original stallholders, stallholders are often liable to a
higher rental rate than the initial subsidized rate. This extra cost often ends
up in the price of our meals, causing hawker food to be more expensive than it
should be. For this reason, in the new management model, rental rates would be
predetermined and subletting of stalls would be restricted to prevent
profiteering. This movement not only brings in greater profits for hawkers, but
also makes the selling of affordable food possible.
What’s more? Community spaces (e.g. Child-care and elderly centres) will also be
incorporated into the new hawker centres. This not only means more business and
profits for the hawkers, but also helps to forge community connection. A
healthy community development brings communities together to work for a
healthier, more sustainable future.
Creating Social Improvements
In the modern
society, the marginalized, especially the disabled are deprived of basic
employment rights. Akin to Dignity Kitchen, a training school cum food centre
operator, the new hawker centres will
serve to provide employment for people who struggle to enter labour market
habitually – the less privileged or those with disabilities.
“Dignity Kitchen has fulfilled some of my dreams.
Besides being a cashier, I am able to sing and be an entertainer”, uttered
Norjumanese, who is visually impaired.
In this fashion, we can build an inclusive
society where people change their attitude towards the marginalized, giving
back their self-respect and dignity and also the opportunities they
well-deserved to be successful in life.
Achieving Environmental Sustainability
To promote environmental
sustainability, environmentally-friendly features – recycling bins, solar
panels, food collection points, etc. –will be incorporated into the design of
hawker centres. What is more? In a move to promote green initiatives, hawkers
and patrons will also be encouraged to adopt environmentally-friendly
practices. For instance, hawkers are heartened to use more sustainable
packaging alternatives like corn-starch based take-away boxes.
Truly, today, hawker
centres remain an important part in Singapore’s life and acts as a social
platform where people from all walks of life intermingle. It also plays a
significant role as a tourist attraction whereby tourists are offered a wide
variety of local food and opportunities to experience the local way of life. As
Singapore works towards building a more vibrant hawker scene, without doubt,
Singapore will create a “city that cares” image to visitors and also build a
culture of doing good amongst citizens.
References
CHANNEL NEWSASIA. (2012, May 5). Social
enterprises should run hawker centres of the future: Panel. TODAY. Retrieved May 13, 2012, from http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120505-0000106/Social-enterprises-should-run-hawker-centres-of-the-future--Panel
Feng,
Z. (2012, May 11). Most of hawker panel's ideas
accepted. The Straits Times. Retrieved May 12, 2012, from http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_797639.html
Kotwani,
M. (2012, May 13). Hawker centre to be run by social enterprise. TODAY. Retrieved May 12, 2012, from http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120513-0000035/Hawker-centre-to-be-run-by-social-enterprise
Hi Jiahui :) First off I would like to say that this article has been very well done! It is clearly stated the ways that 'hawkers with a conscience'are going to achieve the threefold bottom line. It is interesting that hawkers centres, a place where our typical Singapore 'Auntys and Uncles' who lead simple lives, can actually be part of a social enterprise!
ReplyDeleteI would love to look at the finished 'hawkers with a conscience' as it is still unimaginable for me to have hawkers as part of a social enterprise.
However, I have just one problem with this enterprise and would like to share it :)
I feel that hawkers tend to have competition between themselves as just like what you've said, rentals are high for them and food prices are increasing. Therefore this would increase competition within themselves. If that is the case, I am not sure if they would be willing to hire and train those with disabilities to work for them.
-Jaslynn
Tan Jia Hui20 May 2012 at 07:53
Hi Jaslynn,
ReplyDeleteIn view of the issue that you raised, I would love to share the testimony of Mr. Koh Seng Choon, the founder of Dignity Kitchen with you.
As mentioned in my blog post, Dignity Kitchen is a hawker training school for a group of people with disabilities. In one of Mr. Koh’s articles, he shared that working with the disabled is not easy considering that it is already hard enough to train ‘normal’ individuals. However, with confidence in his endeavours, he launched Dignity Kitchen using $200,000 of his own money. Unfortunately, in the beginning, his business was losing $1,000 a day. Yet, even in the face of challenges (e.g. operation or financial stress), he held on to his ‘must try and never give up’ spirit. Today, his business model is proven to be successful and Mr. Koh is planning to replicate the concept in other countries to support the less privileged.
Thus, truly, through Mr. Koh’s testimony, I agree with you that in the face of competition, money is not the biggest problem. What is most challenging is the public’s poor perception of the competence of the disabled. Therefore, a concerted effort must be taken to break down social stereotypes and prejudices to support the less privileged and marginalized.
-Jia Hui-