In the government’s forced eviction of Sungei Road stall owners, Minister Masagos Zulkifli said that he had enough of talking to the stall owners:
“The authorities have engaged enough with vendors and that to meet them again is tantamount to promising that the Government’s stance will change and that redevelopment will not start. There are alternatives. But, should we put up another site like this which is deemed to be like Sungei Road but not in Sungei Road? I don’t think this is something we want to dwell on further.”
Most flea market stall owners at Sungei Road are elderly Singaporeans in poverty who sell second hand unwanted goods for a living. Over 200 stall owners and a petition group, Save Sungei Road Market, have met up with multiple government agencies led by the National Environment Agency, expressing their disapproval for the forced eviction:
“Categorically, the market will not be relocated.”
The Singapore government however reject all suggestions for relocations or compensation, and instead paid lips service saying they will help to find employment for these elderly poor. None of the PAP MPs is willing to assist in the petition to relocate the market. The flea market will be shut down on July 10.
The Sungei Road Market sits just on the fringe of the Bugis CBD area and the land will likely be sold for hundreds of millions to property developers in the open market.