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YOUR OPINION | “As if Covid wasn’t enough, they want to trigger leptospirosis or bubonic plague.”
Zuraida criticizes Kok for ‘insulting’ small shopkeepers
Kok: Zuraida is unfit as minister for allowing chaos with KL’s ‘free trade’ policy
Comet Brahminy: Kuala Lumpur is already very dirty, and now these people want to make it worse by encouraging unsightly and unsanitary food stalls on the roads.
Wouldn’t this encourage the breeding of rats that feed on scraps of food? As if the Covid-19 pandemic wasn’t enough, some politicians want to unleash leptospirosis, or bubonic plague.
If you sincerely want to help small traders, set up adequate buildings with sanitary facilities and train street vendors in basic food technology.
Minister of Housing and Local Government, Zuraida Kamaruddin, if you sincerely want to help Malaysians, I suggest that you invest in educating them so that they can better manage their food business.
And be sincere in helping them by having adequate buildings and facilities that can be effectively disinfected so that they can do business. Haven’t you learned from the Covid-19 pandemic about the importance of hygiene?
Anonymous_15897060865429524: What are “reasonable terms”? Will they have access to drinking water?
Will they be subject to hygiene standards and periodic food safety controls? Is there manpower to do that? Or will this cause the spread of food poisoning and other illnesses due to poor hygiene?
What about food waste disposal? How do we avoid clogged drains and trash everywhere? Will this cause the spread of more diseases transmitted by rodents and other vectors?
How to avoid traffic congestion? Noise pollution? How are these posts removed when the time comes? Do you think they will close the store like this?
Clearly, this has not been thought through.
Jetson: As for the six months of allowing people to set up a street vendor in locations to be approved by the Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL), the plan needs to be thoroughly evaluated.
There are many occasions when we can see that we have a headless administration in charge. Looking at the Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and the way they were introduced shows very clearly the messy coordination between different government agencies.
There are cleaning and disposal problems for street vendors after six months. Also, Zuraida, do you have a crystal ball showing that the Covid pandemic could end in six months?
Has the whole episode been thoroughly thought through and not implemented on ideas drawn from nowhere?
Yes, people need to have an income in order to get through this difficult time. Are there other better solutions to solve this problem? Is it possible that those who want to set up street stalls get better locations that can be converted into permanent lots?
YellowMarlin8834: DBKL, this move, if not careful, will create further problems such as hygiene, rat infestations, overcrowding and traffic congestion.
Zuraida, don’t try to arouse racial feelings. If your 113 backdoor MPs are really concerned about the rakyat, why don’t you accept a pay cut for your 70+ cabinet members?
Instead, the Finance Minister suggests withdrawing the savings from Account 1 of the EPF. This is, in fact, “kita jaga kita sendiri” (we take care of ourselves).
BlueLynx0975: As a former Shah Alam councilor, I certainly do not agree with this free trade policy for all merchants in our city as it will cause traffic congestion and cleanliness problems.
Some merchants will even occupy parking lots suitable for their businesses, and once their businesses are flourishing, it won’t be easy to evict them.
Sinan Belawan: Difficult times require challenging solutions. The livelihood of small traders is important. This is only a temporary solution to allow small traders to put food on the table for their families.
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh are more concerned about traffic than children who may go to bed hungry if small traders are denied space to trade. I am disappointed with the two DAP representatives who lack compassion.
PW Cheng: By doing this, they want to create an impression that they care, but do not understand the implications. This measure will be a short-term gain but a long-term pain, as after six months it will not be so easy to eliminate street vendors.
Nor does the government understand that this measure is contributing to unfair competition from legitimate businessmen who pay rent and all kinds of license fees.
These business owners are also in dire straits and need help. And it’s just putting more pressure on them to close the store.
It appears that the government is helping illegal traders at the expense of legitimate businesses. Worse still, is that they do not seem to understand that such actions are detrimental to the rule of law and encourage illegal activities that will result in problems that will be difficult to solve later.
Good examples are the problems of undocumented immigrants, illegal maids, illegal gambling, illegal street vendors, illegal parking, and a host of other illegal activities that are rarely or never found in a well-run country.
I have not seen the same in Singapore, London, San Francisco, Paris or in any developed country. For us and with all this unintelligent and poor planning, how are we going to be a developed country?
Illustrated Globalist: We are definitely going backwards when it comes to food safety. These roadside stalls will then sell seafood, meat, and who knows what. Don’t be surprised if there is an increase in food poisoning and even typhoid fever.
Food courts were initially established to ensure that street vendors were relocated to a central location. Street vendors could operate in hygienic conditions with clean water and proper waste disposal. Little by little, the streets were cleared of street vendors.
In the past, street vendors used to be unhygienic, attracting rats, and also a traffic hazard. For quick political expediency, the government agrees to this without considering the long-term consequences. Quick fixes seem to be our new motto.
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