KUCHING: The Mayor of Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Datuk Wee Hong Seng has urged the hawker community, the opposition parties and the general public not to politicise the Sungei Apong hawker issues.
Following complaints in videos that had gone viraled on Facebook posts on the Sg Apong hawker issue, he visited the Song Kheng Hai hawker centre here to check on it yesterday.
Wee later told reporters that the council does not want to entertain complaints in such a manner as there is a proper channel for people to voice their complaints.
“Any complaints, they can always come to the council and we will try to resolve the matter.
“We are all working and we have no time to go and check everyone’s Facebook posts. There is a proper channel but not through Facebook,” he said.
On the issue, Wee clarified that the council only wants to be fair to those who really need to trade at the hawker centre and not to those with licenses who sub-let their license, not trading at all or letting others to trade at their stall.
“I don’t think anyone who has seen the videos have seen our letter to the hawkers to remind them that action can and will be taken against them if they misused their hawker license.
“It is a standard council’s letter since the KMC (Kuching Municipal Council) time which has been in use for more than 30 years. It’s the same format.
Wee said that the seven days’ notice letter for the hawkers to buckle up will be extended up till three times before a stern action is taken against the errant hawkers.
“Now, if we have been accused of causing problems and issues to the hawkers, so now we like everyone to know one thing – the market is fully subsidised.
“We subsidised heavily in the market. Almost a RM1 million for all of our market or our hawker centres.
“That is taxpayers’ money. And the stalls and hawker centres are for the B40 people, the people who need it,” he said, adding that the license only costs RM1.
“What we are trying to do now by issuing the notice letter is to go with our by-laws, with our standard SOPs so we went down there to check whoever is not trading so at least give chance to the others that need the stall,” he clarified.
“It is the end of the year, so don’t create hatred. No need to politicise the issue.
“It is not fair that people are accusing us like this and we only want to clarify the matter,” Wee added.
