Singapore. After lying mostly dormant for the past 10 years, a drive to keep the historic area of Kampong Glam alcohol free is gaining momentum.
A group of shop owners, who have confined themselves to occasional petitions over the past decade, are now putting up posters and stickers in their shops. The aim is to gauge public support for a blanket ban on restaurants and convenience stores selling alcohol.
A check by The Straits Times on Tuesday found at least eight posters and banners along Haji Lane, Arab Street and Bussorah Street.
The group has also moved online. A Facebook page set up early last month now has nearly 400 members, with many voicing support for the rejuvenated movement on the site. It is being spearheaded by Ameen Talib, 48, owner of Cafe Le Caire on Arab Street. "The last couple of years, alcohol has been spreading too much in Kampong Glam," he said. "We strongly believe that this reduces the character and heritage of the area."
He added that the group has already approached several government agencies about its plan, including the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). The authority said that it was aware of the issue and was reviewing the matter with the police and other agencies.
The core area of Kampong Glam is governed by conservation guidelines for historic districts, which prohibit 'certain incompatible and pollutive trades' including bars, pubs, karaoke lounges and nightclubs. But food establishments and convenience stores with alcohol licenses are not explicitly excluded. In 2005, the conservation zone was extended to include Kandahar, Baghdad, Pahang and Aliwal streets, Sultan Gate and Haji Lane. In 2008, it was widened again to take in the stretch of North Bridge Road between Arab Street and Jalan Sultan.
The URA said the revisions were due to feedback from stakeholders, including the Kampong Glam Business Association, and the Malay Heritage Centre. The Straits Times understands that the agency is studying the group's proposal and is expected to release an official reply in the coming months.
Denise Phua, the Member of Parliament looking after the Kampong Glam ward for Moulmein-Kallang GRC, said she supported conserving the area's heritage further. "Kampong Glam is unique and special to Singapore," she said. "It is important for URA to consider the input from various stakeholders and derive a solution that is acceptable to the majority."
She warned, however, that not every point of view could be accommodated. 'Some parties want the night life to be even more vibrant and there are others who object to shisha smoking, in addition to alcohol consumption.
"To try to please everyone seems impossible."
The movement is not a religious issue, but one concerned with conserving culture and heritage, stressed Malay Art Gallery owner Syed Abubakar Adni Hussain Aljunied.
While a core group of a few people were leading the charge, Ameen said he had already spoken to 20 to 30 stakeholders in the area who supported his cause as well as several shop owners who sold alcohol.
He said they "understood where we are coming from." Not all businesses are aware of the movement, however.
Melvin Khoo, 38, who runs The Ice Cream Man, said his shop sells beer and wine, as well as several liquor-flavored ice creams that are very popular.
"We don't consume alcohol ourselves but we sell it because there is a demand for it," he said. "I don't think the movement will take off because people who are in Kampong Glam come for things like beer and shish."
He added that his shop's concept was built partly around the idea of alcoholic ice-creams, so he would have to move if a ban was enforced.
Other alcohol-serving establishments in the area declined to comment.
Young visitors to the area displayed mixed reactions to the movement.
Divya Sangameshwar, who works in marketing, learnt about it when a Facebook friend shared the group's page. 'The first time I went to Blu Jazz cafe, it was for a party with a Belgian DJ and Belgian beers, and I thought, "What is this doing in Kampong Glam?" said the 26-year-old. "I felt quite uncomfortable."
Student Josiah Poh, 22, said he understood why the group was upset. "I agree that it's a heritage area, and that it can be quite a nuisance to have a lot of people drinking in Kampong Glam. Especially at night, people tend to go overboard."
But student Zhafri Nasser, 25, said that he did not see the need to throw out all alcohol-serving establishments. "Restaurants that serve alcohol - but don't have it as the main thing on their menu - should be okay. We can't be strict about it, when people with different ethnicities and backgrounds come together."
Some shop owners in the area suggested that members in the group may be trying to further their own agenda. One, declining to be named, said: "They might be feeling left out because so many new places are sprouting up and creating a lot of competition."
Ameen brushed off the suggestion, saying there was a bigger issue at stake. "My business is better when there are bars and such around, because I get expats who have dinner at my restaurant first and then go for drinks," he said. "My business might get worse with this ban but I would prefer to have worse business and no alcohol in the area."
He started his cafe in 2001, but the property has been in his family since his grandfather bought it in the 1930s. Similarly, many of the shops have been passed down from father to son for three generations or more. "I like to tell my son that this is where your forefathers started out," he said. "I'll be ashamed to tell him that if this becomes a drinking area."
A group of shop owners, who have confined themselves to occasional petitions over the past decade, are now putting up posters and stickers in their shops. The aim is to gauge public support for a blanket ban on restaurants and convenience stores selling alcohol.
A check by The Straits Times on Tuesday found at least eight posters and banners along Haji Lane, Arab Street and Bussorah Street.
The group has also moved online. A Facebook page set up early last month now has nearly 400 members, with many voicing support for the rejuvenated movement on the site. It is being spearheaded by Ameen Talib, 48, owner of Cafe Le Caire on Arab Street. "The last couple of years, alcohol has been spreading too much in Kampong Glam," he said. "We strongly believe that this reduces the character and heritage of the area."
He added that the group has already approached several government agencies about its plan, including the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). The authority said that it was aware of the issue and was reviewing the matter with the police and other agencies.
The core area of Kampong Glam is governed by conservation guidelines for historic districts, which prohibit 'certain incompatible and pollutive trades' including bars, pubs, karaoke lounges and nightclubs. But food establishments and convenience stores with alcohol licenses are not explicitly excluded. In 2005, the conservation zone was extended to include Kandahar, Baghdad, Pahang and Aliwal streets, Sultan Gate and Haji Lane. In 2008, it was widened again to take in the stretch of North Bridge Road between Arab Street and Jalan Sultan.
The URA said the revisions were due to feedback from stakeholders, including the Kampong Glam Business Association, and the Malay Heritage Centre. The Straits Times understands that the agency is studying the group's proposal and is expected to release an official reply in the coming months.
Denise Phua, the Member of Parliament looking after the Kampong Glam ward for Moulmein-Kallang GRC, said she supported conserving the area's heritage further. "Kampong Glam is unique and special to Singapore," she said. "It is important for URA to consider the input from various stakeholders and derive a solution that is acceptable to the majority."
She warned, however, that not every point of view could be accommodated. 'Some parties want the night life to be even more vibrant and there are others who object to shisha smoking, in addition to alcohol consumption.
"To try to please everyone seems impossible."
The movement is not a religious issue, but one concerned with conserving culture and heritage, stressed Malay Art Gallery owner Syed Abubakar Adni Hussain Aljunied.
While a core group of a few people were leading the charge, Ameen said he had already spoken to 20 to 30 stakeholders in the area who supported his cause as well as several shop owners who sold alcohol.
He said they "understood where we are coming from." Not all businesses are aware of the movement, however.
Melvin Khoo, 38, who runs The Ice Cream Man, said his shop sells beer and wine, as well as several liquor-flavored ice creams that are very popular.
"We don't consume alcohol ourselves but we sell it because there is a demand for it," he said. "I don't think the movement will take off because people who are in Kampong Glam come for things like beer and shish."
He added that his shop's concept was built partly around the idea of alcoholic ice-creams, so he would have to move if a ban was enforced.
Other alcohol-serving establishments in the area declined to comment.
Young visitors to the area displayed mixed reactions to the movement.
Divya Sangameshwar, who works in marketing, learnt about it when a Facebook friend shared the group's page. 'The first time I went to Blu Jazz cafe, it was for a party with a Belgian DJ and Belgian beers, and I thought, "What is this doing in Kampong Glam?" said the 26-year-old. "I felt quite uncomfortable."
Student Josiah Poh, 22, said he understood why the group was upset. "I agree that it's a heritage area, and that it can be quite a nuisance to have a lot of people drinking in Kampong Glam. Especially at night, people tend to go overboard."
But student Zhafri Nasser, 25, said that he did not see the need to throw out all alcohol-serving establishments. "Restaurants that serve alcohol - but don't have it as the main thing on their menu - should be okay. We can't be strict about it, when people with different ethnicities and backgrounds come together."
Some shop owners in the area suggested that members in the group may be trying to further their own agenda. One, declining to be named, said: "They might be feeling left out because so many new places are sprouting up and creating a lot of competition."
Ameen brushed off the suggestion, saying there was a bigger issue at stake. "My business is better when there are bars and such around, because I get expats who have dinner at my restaurant first and then go for drinks," he said. "My business might get worse with this ban but I would prefer to have worse business and no alcohol in the area."
He started his cafe in 2001, but the property has been in his family since his grandfather bought it in the 1930s. Similarly, many of the shops have been passed down from father to son for three generations or more. "I like to tell my son that this is where your forefathers started out," he said. "I'll be ashamed to tell him that if this becomes a drinking area."
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Is it possible that they see plenty of Karaok & Bars opening in their area & are concerned? I notice that the Arab Street area has an increasing number of such joints.
