Distinguishing between Malay and Indian Muslim Food Providers in Bidding Criteria for HDB Rental Coffee Shops
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns whether HDB rental coffee shop bidding criteria distinguish between Malay and Indian Muslim food providers and if the Price-Quality Method framework should prioritize Malay providers. Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim raised these points regarding population demographics, but Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat clarified that the mandatory halal stall requirement does not specify cuisine types. He stated that operators choose cuisines to best meet local demand and noted that Sengkang town already hosts a variety of Malay, Indian, and Western halal options. Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat emphasized that HDB helps operators replace closed stalls to maintain inclusive social spaces and convenient food access. The current policy ensures halal availability for all residents without prescribing specific ethnic cuisines for the mandatory stalls.
Transcript
26 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the bidding criteria for HDB rental coffee shops requiring one halal stall distinguish between Malay and Indian Muslim food providers; and (b) whether the Price-Quality Method (PQM) framework may be refined to place greater weight on Malay/Muslim food providers, given the relatively greater proportion of Malays to Indian Muslims in the population.
Mr Chee Hong Tat: Since 2005, for all new or vacant Housing and Development Board (HDB) rental coffee shops, operators are required to provide at least one halal stall. This ensures that residents have convenient access to halal food, and that HDB coffee shops remain inclusive social spaces that cater to residents of all ethnicities. Should any halal stallholder cease operations, HDB requires the coffee shop operator to find a replacement within the tenancy period.
The requirement to provide at least one halal stall does not distinguish between the type of cuisine served. We have a variety of halal cuisines in our HDB heartlands, including Malay, Indian, Chinese, Western and Japanese. The coffee shop operators or stallholders can decide on the type of cuisine they wish to serve, so as to best meet local demand.
In Sengkang town, there are 19 HDB rental coffee shops. Two of these are fully halal coffee shops where all of their stalls provide halal options. Another 14 are coffee shops with halal stalls providing a variety of options, eight Indian-Muslim stalls, five Malay/Muslim stalls, and three Western Halal stalls. The remaining three halal stalls ceased operations this year. HDB is working with the operators to ensure that replacements are found as soon as possible.
Apart from HDB coffee shops, residents are also served by halal food options in nearby hawker centres, food courts and shopping malls.