Bukit Canberra hawkers' storage fee & charity meal clauses: A timeline of what happened since KF Seetoh's Facebook post

A food critic and Makansutra founder, a Minister who is an MP of the constituency, a social enterprise hawker centre, and a couple of opposition members.

They are all involved (to varying degrees) in the saga regarding the issues that Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre stallholders reportedly face.

If you did not follow the developments during the National Day weekend, here is the full account of the whole situation:

Aug. 4: Temporary Occupational Licence

Seetoh's first claim was made in an Aug. 4 Facebook post.

In the post, Seetoh alleged that stallholders were being charged S$70 to use a basket to store deliveries from suppliers.

A video uploaded alongside the post highlighted a blue basket on the ground behind several hawker stalls.

Aug. 8: 'Forced charity'

On Aug. 8, Seetoh made another Facebook post claiming that hawkers at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre are "contractually obligated" to provide 60 free meals per month — 30 as part of a "Pay-It-Forward" programme and another 30 as part of a "Customer-Relationship Management" programme.

"They are also contractually forced to offer budget S$3 - S$3.50 meals," Seetoh wrote.

Aug. 11: Minister Ong Ye Kung, who is the MP, responds to Seetoh's claims

On Aug. 11, Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung pushed back against Seetoh's claims in a Facebook post.

Ong is a Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC, where the hawker centre is located.

Responding to Seetoh's posts, Ong wrote that he looked into the matters raised.

Ong stated that the S$70 charge "is not true", and that "there is no such practice of charging for the use of the blue baskets at the back of their stalls".

"Second, it was also claimed that hawkers must provide 60 free meals each month. This does not present the full picture," Ong added.

Ong explained that stallholders had initially agreed to provide 30 meals a month for low-income residents.

"This was subsequently adjusted to 100 meals over the three-year duration of their lease," Ong shared.

There are also no penalties if the stallholders do not or are unable to provide the meals, according to Ong.

"This simple, well-intentioned initiative was meant to encourage our hawkers to ‘Pay-It-Forward’. In any case, the initiative has yet to commence," Ong pointed out.

Aug. 12: Seetoh shared receipts of payment

On Aug. 12, Seetoh made another Facebook post on the issue.

He even shared screenshots of his conversation with a hawker as well as a receipt detailing the S$70 charge that he mentioned in his first post on Aug. 4.

In a screenshot shared by Seetoh, a hawker said that they had to pay extra for the space at the back of their stall, be it a basket or a cabinet.

He then showed a screenshot of a payment invoice that detailed a fee of S$70 under "TOL Rented - Backyard Cluster".

Seetoh said that hawkers use the blue box for their suppliers to put the orders in before operating hours.

"If you use that space, whether for blue box supply deliveries or place a cabinet for storage, it's chargeable and it's what was corresponded with the hawker. They should just charge for storage cabinets, not for a blue box, [to] be fair," said Seetoh.

Aug. 12: Canopy Hawkers Group provides more details

In a Facebook post by Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre on Aug. 12, Canopy Hawkers Group (CHG) reiterated that it does not charge stallholders a monthly fee for the space outside each stall for delivery drops.

Regarding the Pay-It-Forward programme, CHG stated that it has not officially commenced, and the necessary preparations have not been completed since the stall application stage three years ago.

CHG added that if a stallholder wishes to rent additional space outside their stall boundary for storage purposes on an ongoing basis, a Temporary Occupational Licence (TOL) fee would apply.

This is a common and standard practice across many hawker centres and markets in Singapore, CHG noted.

CHG said in their Facebook post that the receipt of S$70 is for the TOL.

CHG also clarified that they incorporated "their vision to pay-it-forward to the community through the offering of free meals to the low income" as part of their selection process during the stall application stage in 2022.

As it was part of their selection criteria, the Pay-It-Forward programme became part of the tenancy contract.

In addition, the Pay-It-Forward programme has not officially started as the group needs to identify low-income residents and be able to track their eligibility.

The preparatory work for the programme has not been done yet, CHG said.

As such, hawkers are not obligated to provide the meals, and there are no penalties.

"While hawkers have voluntarily agreed to participate at the point of selection, we also acknowledged the view that charity should not be contractual, and this is something to be reviewed again when the Pay-It-Forward programme is ready."

"We remain committed to upholding the interests of our stallholders and the sustainability of the hawker trade," said CHG.

Aug. 13: Opposition enters the fray

Former NCMP Leong Mun Wai urged Singaporeans not to be distracted in this dispute in his Facebook post on Aug. 13.

He said that the two key issues related to fees being charged by Socially-Conscious Enterprise Hawker Centres and the clause in hawkers’ contracts requiring them to provide free meals to low-income residents.

Red Dot United Sec-Gen Ravi Philemon said that he is a regular patron of Bukit Canberra Hawker centre, and sought Minister Ong's answers to his queries.

He questioned whether such welfare initiatives should be written into hawker contract, instead of being funded and carried out directly by the State as part of its responsibility to society.

Aug. 13: Seetoh calls for unity

Seetoh said that the "Canberra hawker situation, should be a masterclass moment to unite, not divide the people of Singapore". 

He concluded that the issue lies with "the system" and it was "most certainly not about politics".

He asked for a major rethink and have a guide and rulebook for all future hawker operators.

Top photos via Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre/Facebook & KF Seetoh/Facebook