SIBU: The Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) has been urged to work with the police to prevent more infighting among hawkers and stop prolonged closures here.
In stating this, Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said vendors must not resort to fighting and causing trouble.
The police should enforce the relevant legal provisions instead of allowing the city council to act as vigilantes to punish and extend its power to innocent grassroots vendors.
“This causes misleading statements that spread panic and anxiety to the general public,” he said in a statement recently.
Tiong, who is also Dudong assemblyman, added he vehemently opposed the SMC’s order for hawkers involved in fights and disruptions to suspend their businesses for two weeks to a month.
“I have received complaints from many people. They think the city council’s decision made by the SMC Market and Petty Traders Standing Committee is simply unkind and draconian.
“Directly ordering business closures for up to a month without issuing a warning letter may not be able to clean up the market atmosphere but will also cause more ill effects,” he said.
He emphasised that there are various ways to correct bad trends in the market but they required the city council to work closely with the police.
“I will also report the relevant issues to Sibu District Police chief ACP Zulkifli Suhaili and request law enforcement units to send in more police officers in each market to monitor and maintain order.
“At the same time, the city council’s officers in charge of the market and vendors should actively go to the grassroots to understand their voices and demands. I believe that through friendly negotiations between various parties, a safe and harmonious market environment can be created,” he said.
Tiong hoped that vendors, whether in markets, restaurant stalls, and others, will refrain from brutish fights and disputes to compete for customers and business.
“They should understand the concept of ‘fair competition,’ always self-reflect, and actively improve their performance.
“Only with service and product quality can we develop a stable business volume and customer base. This is the correct way to do business,” he added.
Tiong also expressed disagreement over SMC Market and Petty Traders Standing Committee’s proposal to terminate the licences of those aged 65 and above and instead suggested that the licences of these elderly vendors be handed down to their children should they be interested in taking over.
“Now that their parents are older and their children are grown, if the children are interested in continuing the business of their parents’ stalls, the city council should consider letting the children ‘take over’ the business licence and make a living from it, unless the child has no intention of continuing the parent’s business,” he stressed.
