Actually there is no need to pay more or presumed that the missing ingredient in preserving Hawker culture is cost alone. It would be a bad assumption because should Hawker food become high costs, then most citizens would turn to home cook meals, thereby wiping out the LIVELIHOODS of those whom we are attempting to save, let alone preserve.
1. HDB Hawker stalls are not restaurants that would require extensive renovations. It just a small stall but incredibly able to churn out a huge amount of food to serve customers. With that small space & food products kept low thru wholesale purchasing, as Singapore is an international port, thus prices can be kept sustainable for both Hawker & patrons.
2. PSP were the ones who brought up the Hawkers issue. It is commendable, but had they truly INVESTIGATED & provided facts & figures to convince our Parliament? As I mentioned before, Hawkers are often coy about their enterprises as they would fear IRAS going after them.
Were PSP officers let on by tall tales of woes, or worse-accepted the plight of those Hawkers whom were incapable of operating such stalls at sustainable profits for themselves & low costs to customers?
May PSP not do what NCMP Leong Mun Wai did - making false claims without due diligence.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sin...erly-couple-gutzy-asia-online-citizen-4126501
3. The Hawker culture is worth preserving & can offer citizens whom may out of circumstances or choice, turn to such honest & proven sustainable work. However, Singaporeans are pragmatic People, unlike other nations where hygienic Hawker culture does not exists & their citizens had to resort to Diners & Restaurants which are a hole upon their wallets.
Should Singaporeans resort to home cooked food, & such is very possible in this modern age of processed quick to cook foods along with modern appliances, there will be nothing nostalgic about Hawker culture to care about as such burns a hole upon one's wallet, meant for far more worthy causes such as education, healthcare, savings, etc....