Singapore –
The Singapore government intervened after the Padang rice stall in Singapore, Warong Nasi Pariaman, declared its closure on Saturday (31/1/2026) after operating for 78 years. The shop was asked to reopen.
The plan was revealed by Singapore’s Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development Syed Harun Alhabsyi. He said that various state agencies were in close contact with Warong Nasi Pariaman to discuss how the business could continue to operate if the owner wished.
Syed Harun also said that the closure of Warong Nasi Pariaman was not due to high rental prices.
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
“It was reported in the media that a representative of the family recently clarified that the closure was not related to the rental issue, and we should not wrongly conclude that this was caused by high rental costs,” said Syed Harun on Tuesday (3/2/2026) before parliament, as reported Channel News Asia.
Warong Nasi Pariaman was opened on Jalan Kandahar by Haji Isrin from Pariaman City, West Sumatra starting in 1948. Warong Nasi Pariaman has become an icon in the Kampong Glam area. This place is the oldest nasi Padang stall in Singapore.
|
Warong Nasi Pariaman Singapore (Team detikcom)
|
Because of its historical value, the Singapore Government places this Padang rice stall as a cultural heritage business. The stall has even been included under the SG Heritage Business Scheme by the National Heritage Board (NHB).
The NHB is an inter-agency task force that supports cultural heritage businesses, traditional activities and cultural life. The task force also supports cultural heritage business marketing and consulting.
Currently, there are 42 businesses that have been designated as part of the SG Heritage Business Scheme. A total of 21 of them are in Kampong Glam and Chinatown.
On Saturday (31/1), the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) or Urban Development Authority in Singapore stated that the average rental price had increased in the last two years. The increase is 2 percent per year in Kampong Glam, 2.5 percent in Little India, and 1 percent in Chinatown.
When responding to MP Denise Phua’s question regarding the increase in rental prices, Syed Harun said the increase in Kampong Glam was moderate. The increase is below GDP growth and comparable to conventional retail space in downtown areas.
“We note that rental prices may not be uniform across districts… the Kampong Glam district is actually quite large,” said Syed Harun.
 Pariaman rice stall (Atiqa Rana/detikcom) |
A small portion of rental agreements signed between 2023 and 2025 did see rent increases of up to 25 percent or more. Bali Lane and Haji Lane in Kampong Glam are some of those experiencing this increase.
Syed Harun emphasized that this is a minor case that does not represent the rental price situation in Kampong Glam. This 25 percent increase is the effect of a rental agreement that was previously signed at a price below market price.
“Therefore, after that, there may be a greater increase from the low base price when prices return to normal near prevailing market prices,” said Syed Harun.
(five/five)
date:2026-02-12 04:15:00