Hawker snaps photo of pregnant wife running Yishun stall after NEA warning for not being present
Rhea Yasmine
The Straits Times
February 20, 2025
Hawker centre stallholders must operate their stalls personally to prevent subletting, said the National Environment Agency (NEA).
This comes after a hawker complained online about his pregnant wife having to man their stall in Yishun after receiving an NEA warning for violating the tenancy agreement.
Subletting a hawker stall would "drive up rental prices and food prices to the detriment of Singaporeans", an NEA spokesperson said on Feb 20.
If stallholders are unable to operate their stall personally, they can appoint a joint stall operator or a nominee to do so, NEA added. Besides this, NEA also offers support to those who have to temporarily close their stalls, such as through rental rebates, the spokesperson added.
The policy applies to stalls in hawker centres managed by NEA and its operators.
Mr Noorman Mubarak said in a Feb 18 Facebook post that he was forced to make his 40-weeks-pregnant wife stand in their nasi lemak stall at Yishun Park Hawker Centre.
He noted that according to the tenancy agreement, stall owners must manage their stall personally, but took issue with the requirement that this means being physically present at the stall.
He said the couple had managed the Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang stall since 2017 and had manned it personally previously. They then let their staff handle the physical work while they look after the administrative work, among other things.
"My wife is 40 weeks pregnant, it does not mean she cannot manage the shop in other ways, we are just being smart and upgraded ourselves by using technology and software," said Mr Noorman in the Facebook post, which had attracted 1,300 reactions and 1,400 shares by Feb 20.
The Yishun stall is registered under Mr Noorman's wife, said the NEA, while Mr Noorman is currently not a registered stallholder or stall assistant.
"NEA's appointed operator for Yishun Park Hawker Centre, Timbre+ Hawkers, observed that Mrs Noorman has not been operating the stall personally and had reached out to her to explore appointing a joint operator or stall nominee," the NEA spokesperson said.
"Although the offer was declined, these options remain open to Mrs Noorman."
Today I forced my wife to stand in our founding stall. National Environment Agency (NEA) gave my wife a warning. 7...
Posted by Noorman Mubarak on Tuesday, February 18, 2025
In a separate Facebook post on Feb 20, Yishun Park Hawker Centre said it had "engaged (Mrs Noorman) multiple times to understand her circumstances and explore solutions".
It added that it sent Mrs Noorman two reminders, after repeated requests for her to appoint a joint operator or a nominee for her stall were not followed.
"We understand the challenges of balancing personal circumstances with business operations, and we remain open to working closely with stallholders to find solutions within the tenancy framework," it added.
In comments left on the posts by NEA and the hawker centre, Mr Noorman refuted the hawker centre management's account that it personally engaged the couple to find a solution, saying it only sent a WhatsApp message and an e-mail warning.
The Straits Times has contacted Mr Noorman and operator Timbre+ Hawkers for comment.
Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang, which has scored a spot on the Michelin Guide Singapore since 2021, has 20 stores across Singapore.
The stall at Yishun Park Hawker Centre is its founding stall, according to Mr Noorman, a third-generation hawker.
