KENINGAU: Stall operators selling food and beverage at the Ramadan bazaars here have been urged to prioritise cleanliness.
Consumer Yazid Mohd Hasnan Tawik said traders should not only aim for profit but also prioritize food hygiene so that the health of consumers is not harmed.
“I fully agree with the Department of Health’s drastic action to close the Ramadan bazaar at the Giant shopping center area in Bandar Baharu Keningau,” Yazid told The Borneo Post here yesterday.
The Keningau Umno division committee member was commenting on the notice of closure of the bazaar by the Department of Health after the area was found dirty.
In a notice issued by the department, which had gone viral on social media, the site will be closed for 14 days from June 16 until 30 to enable cleaning and disinfection to be carried out so that the premises would be free of infectious diseases.
Yazid called for inspections to be carried out in all areas where bazaars were held as most of the food are not covered and exposed to flies or dust.
He said there were also prepared food from home and this should also be inspected at the operator’s residence.
“The action by the Health Department to shut down the bazaar in this area is right,” he said.
However, he said the parties concerned also need to identify traders who had not done any wrong.
“We learned that the traders who sell in the area are comprised of Bumiputera traders who only make a living during this Ramadan and they are not regular traders,” he said.
Yazid said the traders had paid a month’s rental to operate their stalls at the site.
He said the closure of the bazaar from June 16 to 30 would cause the traders to incur losses as the area is only open for bazaar during Ramadan month.
“One of the goals of the traders selling in the month of Ramadan is to add income to sustain their families in for coming Hari Raya celebration.
“The parties concerned have to give reconsideration to traders who have not made mistakes or do the cleaning and disinfection as soon as possible to enable them to continue business as it is only seven days before Hari Raya,” he said.
Yazid also advised local authorities to evaluate the suitability of an area for holding bazaar in the future.
He said the area should be gazetted as a legitimate area for holding bazaar. He added that it would be easy to carry out monitoring and inspection by the authorities concerned.
According to him, it should also be checked a week before the start of the bazaar by the authorities concerned for safety and cleanliness of the area.
He said that the Department of Health should also brief all traders before they start business.
“This way they will prioritise personal hygiene as well as that of the food and beverages sold and also outlets and business area,” he said.
During a visit to the bazaar site yesterday, no traders were seen operating and the site was back to its original use as a car park.