Wet markets can help community bonding: HDB residentsBy Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 07 April 2007 2152 hrs

Build more wet markets if you want better community bonding: residents in the eastern part of Singapore made this call at a feedback session in Tampines on Saturday. The "Forum on HDB Heartware" was started early this year by the National Development Ministry and it is aimed at gathering information on how community bonds can be strengthened. About half of the people at the Forum called for the return of wet markets. And it is not just the seniors who miss the cheap bargains and fresh variety of products but the young as well.

Bernard, Student, says: "I love the wet market. It creates a sense of neighbourliness that the government wants to cultivate amongst the young and the old." But not all estates can sustain a wet market.

Dr Maliki Osman, Parliamentary Secretary, National Development, says: "Some wet markets thrive because they are generally in more mature estates where there are a lot more senior citizens who patronise those facilities. If you try to force a wet market in a new estate like Pasir Ris or Simei, we hear of wet markets that are folding up not because for failure of the market itself but really the lifestyles of the people living there does not, are not in sync with the so-called business model of the wet market."

Another hot topic was about getting younger Singaporeans to feel more passionate about community work. But one student felt the adults can also chip in.

Muhd Syazwan Senin, Student, Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School, says: "Community bonds can be strengthened when both adults and students involve in volunteerism together. We see this as a mark to face the future of an aging population in Singapore. It's much more like taking care of our old parents in the future."

Susanna Leong, Resident, Pasir Ris, says: "Corporate social responsibility programmes which are in place in companies today...could actually do it much better - place more emphasis by allowing their staff to be involved in more community and social work."

Other issues raised at the forum include creating more opportunities for students to work with community centres like this. A teacher suggested setting a framework for community centres to list services where students can help in. And when residents were asked whether they would like to see more town hall meetings similar to the forums, more than half said yes.

Two more forums are expected in the coming weeks - in Malay and Tamil - before the series of public dialogues end. The Malay forum will be held on Saturday, 21 April and the Tamil one will be on 28 April. Both will be conducted at the Ministry of National Development building. -CNA/ch