A Visit to Sungei Road Thieves' Market - My Thoughts and Rants

Welcome to The Watch Post, readers, and today we'll be taking a little detour from our usual review.

Firstly, if you don't already know, I am based in Singapore. At just over 700 square kilometers, Singapore is a tiny place, and is in fact one of the smallest countries in the world. The government enforces the rule of law with an iron hand in this country, not just in jurisdictions such as criminal offences but to areas such as recreation and leisure as well.

Case in point, shisha (or hookah), one of the main draws for visiting Arab street (our hipster area) was banned in July last year. In the name of fairness, I should disclose that the government gave one and a half years notice in before the ban was actually enacted. Then, there was also the restriction of alcohol consumption in April 2015. While it is true that these bans were to address legitimate concerns (tobacco being bad for health in general and the alcohol ban due to the 2013 Little Indian riots), I feel that the way these laws have been passed are a very high-handed way to handle things.

I fondly remember the days what clubbing was like before the alcohol ban kicked in; it was a rite of passage for young Singaporeans to sit along quiet roads for pre-drinks, getting wasted on alcohol that had been obtained from outside the club (much cheaper). The trash talking that ensued when everyone was starting to get tipsy was where things got really fun. This is rarely an option these days, as public consumption of alcohol after 10.30PM is against the law. Way to go, nightlife in Singapore.

Sadly, I must say that the trend of high-handedness continues. Come 10th July this year, Singapore's only perpetual flea market that has been operating for over eight decades will be forced to cease operations. Also known as the Sungei Road Thieves' Market (so called because thieves would allegedly sell their stolen/illegal goods here in the 1930's), the loss of a flea market is significant because this is the only such flea market in Singapore. Anyone can setup shop here and peddle their goods (as long as it is not new, part of rules to sell here), without paying rent whatsoever. This is the entire premise of the flea market.

Strangely, I have never been to the Thieves' Market all my life. So, knowing that its days are numbered, I paid a visit to Sungei Road today. Unfortunately, and I apologize in advance, I didn't take any pictures of the goods being peddled. Know this though, if this is being posted on The Watch Post, that's because it involves watches.

You can just about find anything here, though I would seriously doubt the functionality of the electronics sold here. There was clothing which looked very well-used, old pottery and stamp collections, vinyl records and pirated DVD collections, heaps of electronics (old Nokia phones, Sony Ericsson Walkman phones which reminded me of my secondary school days), and lots of watches as well. Some of the items here are so well-used that well, to be honest, I'd call them junk. As in they were literally what you'd throw into the trash, but are instead being peddled here. And I loved it everything about it; the kind of goods being sold, the makeshift shelters and sales stands, shady sales practices were all part of the experience that brings one back to a different time. I imagine before Singapore became so built-up and before everything became so regulated that many more marketplaces were actually like that.

Why is it going away? Two words; residential development. The cynical side of me is thinking 'Why the hell do we need another residential development?' Granted, the flea market is right smack in the middle of some very prime land. Do we really need another residential development to be exactly here though? Especially when the cost of developing this residence means that we have to give up on something so culturally significant.

The flea market is at the heart of Singaporean culture; it cannot get any more Singaporean than this. During my visit today, I saw uncles engaging in the fine art of salesmanship, Singapore-style. That means with lots of Hokkien expletives thrown into the mix, and half-naked uncles in their 60's and 70's puffing on cigarettes as they persuaded you to buy their wares. Certain hawkers were blasting the radio through loudspeakers and providing a service to their neighbours (or disservice?). Haggling was happening to my left and right. Where do you get to see all that in a modern shopping mall?

Of course, I realize that I enjoyed this experience only because it is novel. I'd rather quickly get irritated by the lack of regulation if I had to go about my daily chores at such a marketplace. But that's exactly my point; this is the only place left in Singapore where one can get such an experience. With that, I think the closure of Sungei road flea market will be something that just makes Singapore that little bit duller, something which the government has been getting very adept at over the past few decades.

My experience at Sungei road was absolutely delightful and I highly recommend anyone who can to pay a visit to Sungei Road Thieves' Market before it is all over. I think you will find that the Thieves' Market will give you an experience that can hardly be replicated in your generic Orchard road shopping mall. It's dirty, it's hot, it's full of goods without pretty presentations and most of all, it is a novel, refreshing experience. This country continues to surprise me with its quirks and oddities, even as I think I'm about as true-blue as a Singaporean can get. I just pray that the Singapore government will stop destroying our own culture as they go about preaching on the importance of the Singaporean identity.