Poh Li San on growing Singapore’s hawker culture

Singapore needs to push harder and come up with creative ideas to entice young people to become hawkers, said MP Poh Li San. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday (Nov 13), she said one way is to organise competitions to showcase traditional techniques and heritage dishes, creativity in new recipes, healthier food selections, excellence within cost constraints or excellence within slightly higher budgets. The prize can come in the form of free rental for a period at a stall of the winner’s choice. Ms Poh said this would encourage talented young people to enter the hawker profession and start off with an advantage. Ms Poh also suggested getting Enterprise Singapore and the National Environment Agency to jointly help enterprising hawkers who do not have the funds to promote and expand their business operations in Singapore and overseas. They could form a panel to identify and promote certain local brands, as well as explore pre-packaged meals for the retail market. Ms Poh pointed out that when older hawkers retire, more must be done to incentivise younger Singaporeans to continue their legacy while earning a fair livelihood. Singapore’s food culture is about good and affordable hawker food and this is “a gem that must continue to shine”, she said.