Made up of rows of brightly lit makeshift stalls which hawk anything from greasy snacks to kitchenware and cheap clothing, the pasar malam has been an integral part of the heartland scene for decades. Now, it looks like it is at some risk of disappearing from the heartland altogether. That would be a pity. The pasar malam, or night market, offers inexpensive wares for the budget-conscious. It adds colour and life to the community scene. It is disorderly and noisy with music blaring, yet intimate in a way the malls can never be. When one sees the lights of the rows of stalls, one cannot help but be drawn to them. Local bazaars in cities often have a certain charm to them, and the pasar malam is no exception. The term occupies an affectionate place in the Singaporean vocabulary.

But times are bad for the vendors. Those whom The Straits Times spoke to said their takings had shrunk by as much as half in the last five months. Their number has also fallen from 1,000 in 2005 to the current 700, according to Mr Allan Toh, president of the Trade Fair Merchants' Association of Singapore. Vendors blame competition from air-conditioned heartland malls, besides rising overheads. Just now, the world financial crisis is also having an effect.

Costs can be managed if the organisers agree to put in lower bids for the venues to the grassroots organisations, which collect the money on behalf of the community. The financial crisis is actually an opportunity for vendors as they sell essential items at a lower price than in the malls. But they should not be selling shoddy stuff, a complaint that has been raised time and again by customers, and they must widen the range of products offered. The organisers can promote the pasar malam by, for example, sending out fliers to residents in the neighbourhood. The Singapore Tourism Board could also highlight the night market's charms to tourists who seek out authentic local colour. Who knows, they could even end up buying a souvenir or two.

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