The impending closure of the open-air thieves’ market in Sungei Road has prompted the opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and local netizens to call for its preservation.
They say that at the very least the dealers there, many of whom are senior citizens, should be offered a replacement venue to continue their trade. The traders had been operating there since the 1930s.
SDP leader Chee Soon Juan, who took his children to see the street market on June 4, said on his Facebook account that he wanted them to see the “last of old Singapore” before it is bulldozed for development.
“This is the tragedy in modern Singapore with a government that knows the price of everything but the value of nothing,” he said.
“We’re going to lose another part of our history – the place goes back to before the Japanese occupation – and in its place we’re constructing more empty shopping malls.”
He said the mostly elderly vendors selling all manner of knick-knacks have no place else to go to make a livelihood.
SDP members made a site visit to the market yesterday, generating publicity on social media and garnering astounded reactions from the layman, especially youngsters, many of whom had never been there.
Several netizens have shared nostalgic memories of the market which is known for its remarkable range of eccentric and everyday wares.
The publicity generated had made others visit the place for the first time to share photographs of the activities and merchandise spread out.
Today Online reported on June 8 that it was the biggest and oldest flea market in Singapore, but had shrunk in size by half in 2011 to make way for the construction of the Jalan Besar MRT station.
It said the hawkers had proposed possible new sites to relocate to but the authorities, who decided on the eviction in February, have made it clear that would not happen.
The report cited the authorities as saying that while the area had a long history and holds special memories for many Singaporeans, the government had assessed that such street trades should only be allowed to continue in designated venues like trade fairs, rather than on a permanent basis to “minimise disamenities to the public”.
In a statement yesterday, the SDP described the move to “pull the economic rug” from under the vendors at this stage of their lives as an unimaginably cruel act.
It called on Singapore to be innovative and think out of the box.
“Instead of closing down the historic venue, if it is really necessary, for economic reasons, we could allow food stalls there and turn it into a world famous market like the ones in Sydney, London, Taipei, and Tokyo,” it said.
“Not everything in Singapore must be turned into profit.
“We cannot put a price tag on memories and our sense of belonging.
“Let us treasure the last piece of heritage of our nation,” it said.