In Singapore, a pet cat can legally live out its fabled nine lives in a Housing Board flat only if its owner lives in certain blocks in Chong Pang.

Since October 2012, those residents have been allowed to keep cats under a pilot scheme called Love Cats. Elsewhere, cat ownership has been banned since the HDB’s inception in February 1960.

The reasons given by the HDB revolve round the potential for cats to be a public nuisance, due to their tendency to wander, caterwaul, shed fur and defaecate in public areas. But flat dwellers can own one dog of an HDB-approved breed.

This apparent discrimination against cats has been a bone of contention for animal lovers for years.

The issue has cropped up again, in letters – both for and against the ban – last month in The Straits Times’ Forum page.

But are bigger changes afoot?

Yes – if MP for Nee Soon GRC Louis Ng has his way.

Mr Ng, founder of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), told The Sunday Times that the pilot in Chong Pang was successful and that he intends to bring the issue up in Parliament soon.

He said: “We are hoping to expand, if not nationalise, the programme.”

Dr Jaipal Singh Gill, executive director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the ban was “not based on reasoned arguments”.

“If we look at the reasons for the ban put forward by HDB, all of them occur as a result of irresponsible pet ownership,” he said.

Many whom The Sunday Times spoke to also deemed the HDB’s reasons insufficient to warrant a ban, as dog ownership brings similar problems.

Mr Alexander James Fonseca, a 21-year-old waiting to enter university, said: “I think cats may not have the social nature of dogs and are hence harder to control, but they still seem to be trainable.”

Mr Oliver Chern, who is in his 40s and works in marketing, said: “The regulations for dogs are quite reasonable. Perhaps a similar system could be established for cats, to hold their owners accountable.”

When asked why cats do not have a registration programme as dogs do, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority said that it requires licensing of dogs for traceability during the outbreak of diseases such as rabies. Thus, its requirements are targeted at dogs rather than cats.

Taxi driver Aaron Liu, 54, dislikes cats but he, too, finds the ban bizarre. “While stray cats can be very loud when they fight, pet cats should not be an issue,” he said.

Administrative and finance executive Jocelyn Tan, 42, who has cats under the Love Cats programme, said: “Even my next-door neighbours have never seen my cats.”

She said that responsible owners mesh their windows and litter-train and sterilise their pets.

But Mr Peter Khaw is less optimistic about the effectiveness of rules on cat ownership, compared with an outright ban.

The retired aviation consultant, who is in his 70s, does not believe the rules will be adhered to.

Read also: Woman with 20 cats told that they must go by Thursday

“We still have problems with littering and obstruction of corridors in Singapore, (so) I am not sure if pet owners will really cat-proof their homes.”

Some families in Jurong West have cause for concern. They have been living with flies and a bad smell for nearly two years, after a neighbour with more than 20 cats moved into the block.

“It is like living above a sewage plant,” said retired teacher Dominic Wee, 57. HDB has taken the owner to court, but the problem persists.

“If there is a rule against keeping cats in HDB flats, how can my neighbour get away with this?” he asked.

Veterinarian Joyce Lauw noted that in most cases, pet hygiene is not a problem. Though both dogs and cats can spread rabies and worms, Singapore is rabies-free.

“Vaccinations can also prevent the spread of diseases,” she said.

Toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection transmitted by cat faeces and dangerous to foetuses, is also rarely seen here.

Dr Christopher Chong, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Gleneagles Hospital, said: “Domesticated cats are healthy and they are less likely to have the infection that can be passed on to humans.”

Read also: If dogs are allowed, why not cats? Kitty lovers unhappy about no-cat rule in HDB flats

This article was first published on Feb 19, 2017.
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A pall of finality hangs over the Sungei Road flea market as peddlers digest the news that they have about five months left before it closes for good .

The Government said on Tuesday that July 10 will be the last day for the market, which began in the 1930s as a small trading spot along Rochor River.

Singapore’s last free hawking zone will be prepared “to facilitate future residential development use”, a multi-agency statement said.

There is still hope – the Association for the Recycling of Second Hand Goods, which has around 70 members – has submitted an appeal to extend the deadline until the end of the year.

If that fails, it intends to secure a temporary site in Jalan Besar, though talks are still under way, said association president Koh Eng Khoon, 76.

But there is a palpable sense that time is up, the peddlers told The Sunday Times. As they reminisce about the “good old days” with ST, some joked that they were about to be sacked again.

Many, like Mr Neo Chue Eng, began plying their trade at the market out of necessity when they were retrenched from their previous jobs and could not find another.

The 58-year-old, who was let go as a shipyard worker at the height of the Asian financial crisis in 1997, said working in Sungei Road was more than just a source of income.

He met his wife, Madam Peh Guat Lian, 50, at the market and the two of them work at adjoining lots selling used clothing.

The flea market, also known as Thieves’ Market, is where some 160 to 200 hard-nosed peddlers honed their street savvy.

Read also: Sungei Road flea market to close in July

Its alumni include Koufu founder Pang Lim, who cut his teeth in business by selling fruit and old watches at the market in his teens.

At 1pm daily, peddlers begin carting in cardboard boxes and luggage containing second-hand goods, antiques and collectibles such as old vinyl records, toys, coins and stamps. Some, like Mr Neo, have their own lorries, while others take public transport.

The 300-plus lots on the site operate on a first-come-first-served basis, though an unspoken code exists among regulars to occupy the best spots, said Mr Neo.

It is a tough job, with peddlers having to brave bad weather and unruly customers, said vintage electronics seller Aderoh Bakar, 70.

Stick around and one can hear loud arguments as buyer and seller haggle over the already-low prices.

“Arguments are very common here. It’s a business tactic,” he said.

Mr Aderoh, who has been working alone in the market for the past 20 years, said he will miss the community spirit and friendships that the peddlers have built.

“Everyone looks out for each other here. For example, if I need to go to the toilet, I can do so in peace as I trust the others to help look after my things,” he said.

In the past, it was also normal to see the authorities crack down on peddlers selling illegal items, such as pirated goods.

Come July, the peddlers said they do not know what they will do when the market closes for good.

It would be a challenge for many peddlers who depend on it for income. The peddlers told The Sunday Times they earn between $400 and $600 a month.

Said Mr Neo: “This place gave us a lifestyle that we have known for nearly 20 years. I can’t imagine us doing anything else.”

He and his wife earn a combined $1,200 every month, enough to support their Secondary 1 daughter.

The Association for the Recycling of Second Hand Goods was established in 2012 after the Sungei Road Free Hawking Zone was reduced in size in 2011 to make way for the construction of the Downtown Line.

Mr Koh, who has lobbied the authorities for years, was disappointed at the news.

He said most of his 70 members are determined to keep on hawking for a living: “Most of the people here are very old and this is the only way they know how to survive.”

Also a peddler himself for four decades, Mr Koh said an extension will give the association time to find a new place.

“It will be such a shame that an iconic place with a rich and long history will not be allowed to exist.”

Read also: 7 things you ought to know about Sungei Road market before it disappears

ngjunsen@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Feb 19, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Kidney failure rates are shooting up among Malays here, with their risk – already higher than the other races – going up by 50 per cent over the past decade.

Ten years ago, Malays had twice the risk of getting kidney failure, requiring either a transplant or dialysis, compared to Chinese, and 1.5 times compared to Indians.

Today, their risk has grown to almost triple that of Chinese and more than twice that of Indians.

The latest figures are from 2014 since it takes two years to confirm a diagnosis.

They show that the age standardised rate, which takes into consideration the age at which kidney failure hits, was 643 per million people for Malays, compared to 224 for Chinese and 274 for Indians.

Dr Marjorie Foo, head of renal medicine at the Singapore General Hospital, said the high rates of kidney failure among Malays could be because more of them suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure – both risk factors – compared to the other races.

Professor A. Vathsala, a senior nephrologist at the National University Hospital, added: “We believe that late diagnosis of diabetes, perhaps a higher proportion of smokers among Malays and obesity contribute to the increased risk of kidney disease among Malays in Singapore.”

In absolute numbers for 2014, kidneys failed in 1,109 Chinese, 408 Malays and 118 Indians.

A study of 58,000 diabetic patients at the National Healthcare Group Polyclinics from 2006 to 2009 found that among the three major ethnic groups here, Malays had the highest incidence of diabetic kidney failure while Indians, in spite of poorer control of diabetes than the other races, fared best.

The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Nephrology, suggested this could be caused by delayed diagnosis in Malays resulting in more advanced complications, coupled with Malays having low levels of exercise and the highest incidence of smoking.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, Malays make up 30 per cent of patients undergoing dialysis at its centres.

One of them, Madam Zaiton Ahmad, 58, lost the use of her kidneys five years ago. She discovered she had diabetes and high blood pressure only when she had a stroke in 2003. Both her parents had diabetes, and one of her older brothers is also on dialysis.

Since her diagnosis, she has been on medication and has tried to eat well and exercise. But her blood sugar levels stayed high and her kidneys failed in 2012.

Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob said Malay MPs have set up programmes to address this situation.

Her constituency of Marsiling, for example, organises regular health screenings, exercise programmes and a Befrienders’ Programme to support the more needy cases.

They have also linked up with a healthcare professionals association for the Malay/Muslim community to focus on Malay-speaking residents.

“We need to focus more on the young, moulding healthy eating and lifestyle habits from young, rather than waiting until illness strikes before doing something,” she said.

salma@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Feb 19, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

When he was 12, Mr Tan Boon Kwang started helping out at his father’s Teochew braised duck stall, which operated from a pushcart in Redhill.

He moved with his father to Redhill Food Centre when it was built in the early 1970s and since then, he has been running Redhill Lor Duck Rice and Noodle.

His wife, 57-year-old Ong Ai Ling, has been helping him for the past decade.

But Mr Tan, 59, plans to retire at the end of this year.

Over the years, the stall has built up a steady following, with customers forming long lines during lunch hour to order the braised duck dish and clear herbal soup.

It became even busier after the stall was recommended by the Singapore Michelin Guide 2016.

Read also: 12 young hawkerpreneurs who are breathing life into Singapore’s hawker culture again

Having undergone a heart operation three years ago, Mr Tan cannot handle the physical demands of being a hawker.

He and his wife have already cut down their working hours – they now take three days off a week instead of one day, and they close the stall at 2pm instead of 8pm.

So far, there are no potential successors, said Mr Tan.

A company had expressed interest in taking over the stall, but there has been no word yet.

Their two children, a 32- year-old teacher and 30-year-old fitness trainer, have no interest in joining the industry.

Read also: Students get a taste of hawker life​

Said Madam Ong: “Kids these days don’t want to get up in the wee hours of the morning, or miss out on seeing friends during the weekend because of work. In the past, our families were poor so we all tried to earn money to help our parents.

“Of course it is a pity to see the stall close down, but we have no choice. Health is more important.”

Asked about the Hawker Centre 3.0 Committee’s report, the couple said that ultimately, what would keep customers coming back is the quality and taste of the food.

“If the food is good, you don’t need Wi-Fi or performances. Our customers come from all over the island,” said Madam Ong.

The couple are willing to impart their skills to the next generation, but stress that the work is not easy.

“It’ll be much easier if an aspiring hawker is passionate about the industry. But unless you are willing to put in the hard work, you won’t learn anything,” said Mr Tan.

Read also: Hard slog must be worth it, say young hawkers​

yuensin@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Feb 19, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Young hawkers have welcomed the proposals made recently to the Government to breathe new life into a traditional trade that has not always been welcoming.

They like the idea of transforming hawker centres into social spaces and training grounds, as well as providing amenities such as Wi-Fi to customers.

But what is needed to attract and keep young hawkers in the business boils down to economics, new-generation hawkers told The Sunday Times.

The way things are right now, earning a living worth the sweat of their toil is still a challenge for most of them.

Earlier this month, a 14-member Hawker Centre 3.0 Committee submitted to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) its recommendations to sustain Singapore’s hawker culture on the back of concerns that it could die out.

Issues like the relatively high median age of incumbent hawkers – 59 years – were also flagged.

Measures identified as most relevant are those that would boost their profit margin, said young hawkers.

The opportunity cost involved is a substantial barrier to entry for most aspiring hawkers.

Many of those who keep at it do it out of passion for a street food culture they believe in sustaining.

“Being a hawker actually requires a lot of effort and time,” said Mr Chris Eng, 22, head chef at Star Yong Kwang BBQ Seafood in Alexandra Village Food Centre.

It requires sacrifices too.

“Your friends or family members might be outside celebrating their public holidays but you will have to spend time at your hawker business because these days are the peak periods.”

And with high overhead costs combined with pressure to keep prices low, the income is seldom enough to make up for the work they have to put in.

As Mr Kai Koh, 31, who two years ago set up Roast Paradise selling char siew and roast pork at Old Airport Road Food Centre, put it: “If one can get a job earning $2,000 to $3,000 in a comfortable air-conditioned environment, why would they want to slog in a hawker centre for a similar salary?”

Read also: 12 young hawkerpreneurs who are breathing life into Singapore’s hawker culture again

COSTS

Setting up a hawker stall is a viable way of road-testing a culinary concept as it involves less risk than investing in a restaurant, said Mr Joshua Khoo, 32, whose French restaurant chain Saveur started as a stall in a Joo Chiat coffee shop.

Unlike first-generation hawkers – who were resettled from the streets to food centres in the 1970s – new entrants are not eligible for government rental subsidies. As of last December, “new” stallholders pay an average of $1,260 a month, against an average of $240 a month for those who are subsidised.

A 2014 analysis conducted by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the MEWR found that raw materials make up more than half of hawkers’ operating costs, compared to rentals, which account for about 12 per cent of costs.

With that in mind, the committee’s recommendation of bulk- purchasing ingredients or providing hawkers with crucial information like suppliers’ contacts could help with lowering costs.

Mr Khoo, for example, has been getting his frozen meat supplies from the same contact in his restaurant business. “Knowing who to go to can save me up to $500 a month, which is quite a big sum for hawkers,” he said.

TRAINING AND MANAGEMENT

Hawker training programmes are set to be expanded if the recommendations are implemented.

But it is even more crucial that aspiring hawkers get on-the-job training on how to streamline their service, on top of acquiring culinary skills.

Not many of those who had joined hawker training programmes eventually joined the trade for the long term due to inexperience.

As of last year, out of the 46 who trained under the Hawker Master Trainer Pilot Programme in 2013, only five have stayed on in the business.

Social enterprise Dignity Kitchen, which conducted the training, said that the programme has been tweaked to provide more practical training. It may also set up incubation stalls for young hawkers to hone their processes.

Hipster hawker centre Timbre+, which opened last April, could set a benchmark for what hawker centres of the future could look like.

On top of featuring live music performances and an automated tray-return system, its management also helps hawkers market their dishes and respond to customer inquiries online.

Mr Edward Chia, Timbre Group’s managing director, said: “We try our best to offer economies of scale so that hawkers can just focus on ensuring food quality and consistency.”

Read also: Students get a taste of hawker life​

Hawker Centre 3.0 panel recommendations

• Introduce sustainable training programmes to help facilitate and encourage the entry of aspiring hawkers into the profession.
• Launch a one-stop information centre for hawker trade-related inquiries.
• Explore the viability of centralised dishwashing, cashless payment and bulk purchases of common ingredients.
• Encourage wider adoption of more efficient and productive equipment that will help to automate tasks.
• Enhance hawker centres’ vibrancy by having activities such as music performances. Community groups, such as grassroots organisations, schools or tertiary institutions, could also partner hawker centres to hold regular activities.
• Improve amenities within hawker centres by providing free Wi-Fi access and child-friendly spaces.
• National Environment Agency to conduct more campaigns to encourage tray returns and other gracious customer behaviour.
• Improve current tray-return facilities in terms of design, layout and location so they are more convenient to use.

Read also: Braised duck stall owner retiring with no successor in sight

yuensin@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Feb 19, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.