There and Back Again

The pasar malam - or 'night market' in Malay, has gone through several guises since the 1950's. The first markets featured a motley group of hawkers setting up shop neat British military bases. But by the 1960's, their numbers had grown, and they set up shop in different housing estates every week.

In 1966, government control over hawkers bubbled to the surface when hawkers were required to apply for a license. Then in 1970, pasar malams were barred from operating near Housing and Development Board estates, because they disrupted traffic and affected the businesses within the estates. Finally, after several efforts to reduce their reach and size, the last of the pasar malam stalls were shut down in 1978…