Naroden (fourth left), officials and the hawkers give the thumbs-up after the presentation of the cheque.
KUCHING: All local authorities are urged to relax their enforcement against hawkers operating during the fasting month.
Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Bumiputera Entrepreneur Development) Datuk Naroden Majais said the hawkers should be allowed to trade outside the specially designated Ramadan bazaars, including those by the roadsides or near their homes as long as they were not obstructing the flow of traffic in the area.
“If the stalls are not really causing obstruction to the flow of traffic I think hawkers should be allowed to operate outside the designated Ramadan bazaars. The hawkers, however, have to observe strict guidelines on health and food safety,” he said at the presentation of special government loan under 1Ramadan Bazaar Scheme 2014 here yesterday.
Naroden, who is Simunjan assemblyman, said he would discuss the matter with the various local authorities.
He mentioned his fear that the hawkers who have applied for loan to set up a stall during the fasting month would not be able to repay their loans if the local councils were strict on them.
“If they cannot do business how are they going to pay their loans? My hope is that the local councils would relax some of their rules and regulations so that the hawkers could earn extra income at the end of the fasting month.” Naroden said the federal government had set aside RM45 million for hawkers to open up food stalls at Ramadan bazaars throughout the nation.
“Sarawak’s share of RM2,187,500 would be given out to 1,005 hawkers who have applied for the interest-free loan scheme. The loan ranges from RM500 to RM3,000 per applicant.
“Fifty per cent of the loan must be settled before the end of Syawal and the balance to be paid a month after Syawal.”
According to Naroden, Kuching had the highest number of applicants with 560, followed by Miri (111), Limbang (64), Samarahan and Sri Aman (62 each), Sarikei (48), Sibu (43), Bintulu (32) and Mukah (23).
He thanked various parties, including Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism, Persatuan Penjaja and Peniaga Kecil Bumiputera Sarawak (PKBS) and Bank Rakyat for helping the applicants to get their loans.