Commentary: Our hawkers deserve more

Those of us who can afford it shouldn’t complain when they raise their prices due to rising costs especially when so many of us recognise the skill and the hard work that goes into making a good hawker dish, says Channel NewAsia's Bharati Jagdish.

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/commentary-our-hawkers-deserve-more-9515430

Commentary: Our hawkers deserve more

Those of us who can afford it shouldn’t complain when they raise their prices due to rising costs especially when so many of us recognise the skill and the hard work that goes into making a good hawker dish, says Channel NewAsia's Bharati Jagdish.

Ricky Lim · 

Singapore

Actually to boost the sales of hawkers, hawker centre can liaise with food delivery like Food panda, ubereat etc - to help in using online sales and delivery system.

This will help to bring in more sales and more income for hawkers without the need to increase food prices - for the sake of lower income group.

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Ricky Lim · 

Singapore

There are many elderly, retirees, retrenched, unemployed, lower income groups, students etc that rely on hawker centres for food.

Thus cannot increase hawker prices to the detriments of these people.

The only way is to boost the hawker business - by liasing with online eSales and delivery companies - to advertise their foods, make order and do delivery.

This will boost their income.

Actually wonder any organistations or people with such knowledge can tie up with each hawker centre to offer such services. Or Government can help in this process.

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Ricky Lim · 

Singapore

This will become the ITM (Industry Transformation Map) for Hawkers, Hawker Centres --- for hawkers - to upgrade themselves in the Digital Economy and boost their income.

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Ricky Lim · 

Singapore

I have seen an elderly order his food from a rice stall.

He order a plate of white rice, 1 vegetable and request the stall holder to give him some curry.

It cost him 50 cents for the rice and $1.50 for the vegetable and the curry is free.

Altogether it cost him $2.

And he relish his food with satisfaction.

It is quite a pitiful sight to watch.

If hawker further increase the food price, he may have to forgo his vegetable - by ordering just a plate of white rice 50 cents and curry sauce only and probably vegetable sauce.

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Kelvin Leow · 

Jakarta, Indonesia

Hawker centres rent cost must keep to lowest so these hard working stall still able to keep affordable pricing. Goverment must control the stall rented out to hawker run the business not sub-letting to higher cost. Honestly, 3.50 to 4 buck with bigger portion is fair in non ac hawker centre.

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Ricky Lim · 

Singapore

Government control rent cost will help to reduce the overhead of the hawkers.

But there is a limit that the Government can do, as 羊毛出在羊身上。

If Government keep reducing rental cost - it means Government will have less revenue to fund social welfare, infrastructure spendings etc.

And to ensure its revenue can be sustained - may have to raise tax like income tax, property tax, gst etc.

So the best is to boost the revenue source of the hawkers.

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The 'hawker interns' selling prawn mee: Choosing the hawker life over the tried and tested route

Joanne Heng and Chan Kheng Yee were about to graduate from university, and were looking for a full-time job. But a "random" job ad online set them on the path to hawker life.

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/the-hawker-interns-selling-prawn-mee-choosing-the-hawker-life-9420332

By Lianne Chia @LianneChiaCNA

26 Dec 2017 06:49AM (Updated: 26 Dec 2017 09:47AM) 

Albert Ling

Rubbish , white monkey running digs

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Justice Boa · 

Harvard University

Good article Lainne. Well done Joanne & Kheng Yee! Not afraid of getting your hands dirty & to overcome the long hours of hard works. Humanity in action! Blessed are the humble, for they inherit the earth! Jack Ma and Bill Gates both have humble beginning before they are successful. MOE, EDB and MOM should craft out an accredited succession plan to preserve the Singapore multicultural hawker heritage to have a sustainable career tracks for more young hard working Singaporeans to strive and be successful.

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Lee LK · 

Singapore

Waste govt subsidies to study at the university.

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Chua Lee Kheng

Why be so calculative, university graduate is always free to be a hawker. A hawker can also be free to be a university graduate. This is called Equality.

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Goh Thiam Seng

People who goes University ( like University of Social Science ) are driving Grab full time as well. Why ??

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Lynn Lee · 

Finance at Events Bee

during 2011 elections , we voted against immigration. Now that immigration is controlled, but jobs didnt increase. So things are not working. Furthermore we didnt protect the blue collar jobs like in Australia for locals.

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Wahlau Eh

Propaganda brain washing article.. Can't get more jobs for local graduates, now promote hawker work, grab driver work etc.. sinkies r doing menial work for foreigners, while our pmet work taken over by foreigners.. lol.. sinkies in Singapore serve foreigners... What had happened to my own country now???

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Tham Kah Shing · 

Founder (company) at Ozaki Studios™

Waste parent money, from K1 to U. Better go to hell.

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Lilian Chang · 

Singapore

Great job...keep going. I love prawn mee...Yummy!

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Wahlau Eh

Would you like your children to slog over a hot stove everyday, after getting a degree? Unless u rich to support their prawn mee "hobby" , being a hawker is a last resort job.. those who say it's a passion shld get their heads checked or tongue cut for lying...

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Alan Ooi

Cry for all you want.. successful hawkers earns 6 digits annual income. Who cares whether they are being looked down as being "hawkers", they are the ones laughing all the way to the bank

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Loo Siew Wah

I saw these two girls working at the prawn noodle stall previously at Golden Mile Hawker Centre. They were cery cheerful snd hardworking. I thought they were the stall owner's daughters. Surprised to see children helping at their parents' hawker stall. Impressed.
Keep up the good work but very important, finish your degree with flying colours.

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Lynn Lee · 

Finance at Events Bee

Once first stall sucessful, they can open multiple stalls and start collecting franchise fees. Its not old style hawkers. But initially not easy.

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Ricky Lim · 

Singapore

Now in the era of disruptive technologies that will disrupt even the most solid traditional industry - we cannot rule out any trade or profession.

Any ways that can bring income and profit and business and jobs - will be a good way.

It may not be possible to stick to the old traditional way of doing business or jobs.

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Ricky Lim · 

Singapore

Eg.
(1) Taxi - hit by uber, grab
(2) Bank - hit by blockchain
(3) IT - hit by cloud
(4) Retail - hit by online shopping
(5) Oil - hit by renewable energy
(6) Manufacturing - hit by robotics
etc
Practically all aspects of the traditional industries - are affected by Digital Economy --- we cannot rule out anything that works, that bring in income, that bring in business, that bring in profit, that bring in jobs.

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North Korea says new UN sanctions an act of war
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/north-korea-says-new-un-sanctions-an-act-of-war-9523708

22, 2017. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky

24 Dec 2017 12:15PM (Updated: 24 Dec 2017 12:35PM)

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/north-korea-says-new-un-sanctions-an-act-of-war-9523708

Ricky Lim · 

Singapore

For a simple fact that, any Countries in the World - must be able to work with and cooperate with the World.

Any Country that forces its own agenda that compromise the World, will find itself in isolation.

This is the same for Trump - that is forceful in implementing its own agenda - detrimental to others - will find the World isolating it.

The same for N Korea - insisting on nuclearisation and threaten the World - it will find itself being isolated by the World.

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