‘We will abide by govt’s decision on e-bazaar’
PETALING JAYA: Hawkers and petty traders keen to do business through the proposed Ramadan e-bazaar will abide by any decision the government makes on the concept.
The Malaysian Federation of Hawkers and Petty Traders Associations said yesterday that it will not proceed if the government says “no”.
Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa is expected to make an announcement on the matter tomorrow, federation president Datuk Seri Rosli Sulaiman said yesterday.
Rosli said he met Kuala Lumpur City Hall officials yesterday for another round of discussions on the new concept of the proposed e-bazaar.
In a separate announcement in Putrajaya yesterday, Senior Minister (Defence) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the decision not to allow any Ramadan bazaars this year, whether online or otherwise, is to prevent large crowds from gathering at specific locations.
The proposed Ramadan e-bazaar is similar to food delivery services. It entails customers placing online orders for their choice of food and having them delivered. Otherwise, they could pick up their purchases themselves.
In a front page report in theSun yesterday, Rosli was quoted as saying that strict rules would apply to ensure there is social distancing to prevent any Covid-19 infection.
He said the federation would not appeal against any decision made by the government. “We only hope that traders will be compensated for their effort in registering and preparing for the anticipated month-long online trading.”
A total of 2,700 traders have already registered for “slots” in the e-bazaar platform, originally proposed by Annuar.
Bernama reported three days ago that the Federal Territories minister was offering each trader a RM500 incentive to participate in the new concept.
Meanwhile, the Johor government has decided that there will be no Ramadan bazaars this year to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infections in the state.
Chairman of the state Health and Environment Committee R. Vidyananthan said the move was in line with the federal government’s call not to hold such bazaars this year.
Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Terengganu have also announced that there will not be any Ramadan bazaars.
Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said it will be impossible to observe social distancing in enclosed areas, whether in mosques or narrow streets at such places.
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