KUCHING: There are almost 2,000 hawkers in
Padawan municipality and 80 per cent of them are hawking illegally in Mile 3,
Kota Sentosa, Kota Padawan, Siburan, Beratok, Tapah, Matang, Telaga Air and MJC
in Batu Kawa.
This was revealed by Lo Khere Chiang
(BN-Batu Kitang) during his debate speech in the State Legislative Assembly
(DUN) sitting, yesterday.
“There is no denying that the hawkers are
poor people out to look for ways to supplement their livelihood. They can be
seen early in the morning carrying baskets of vegetables to trade by the
roadsides or wherever there are people. By noon, most of them are gone,” he
said.
He said many people complained that their
presence was an eyesore and also dangerous, especially for those who hawked
near the roadside.
“No matter what measures are taken against
them, they will come back another day as they need to earn extra income. The
hawkers ply their trade come rain or shine. On rainy days, many will put on
raincoats or use umbrellas so that they can carry on selling their products. It
is a sad sight indeed.
“It is therefore important that future
projects must have space reserved for big markets. In Stutong, when the market
was built, there was big uproar over then. Over time, the demand for trading
places grew and today, trading spaces in Stutong Market are 100 per cent
occupied.
“We must also plan for market places in
future projects. At the moment at MJC in
Batu Kawa, there are about 500 hawkers trading at car parks every Thursday noon
till Saturday,” Lo said.
He pointed out that housing estates were
mushrooming in MJC area, and shop owners there allowed the hawkers to trade as
business was still slow.
“There will come a day when they would not
want to see the hawkers in front of their shops, and then the trouble will
start,
“Locating all these hawkers under one roof
and legalising them are the only way to solve the problem. But we need space
and conducive area to move them to. That way, we can ensure that these hawkers
are legal and the trading place kept clean with proper planning,
“We cannot wait until the town grows beyond
the stage where there is no viable space for a market to meet the day to day
needs of the people. By then, it will be a lot harder to find a space for a big
market.
“Planning has to start well before a town
grows too big. Potential space for a market has to be identified and gazetted.
The space needs to be gazetted because the land will become too valuable for a
market purpose by the time the town grows too big. A market is however a basic
necessity to ensure that the daily needs of the growing population is met,”
said Lo.
According to Lo, a site of about 7.5-acre
in size near the DBKU golf driving range at Jalan Keretapi has been identified
for a market. Across the nearby river is a state land of 10.4 acres which is
within the jurisdiction of Padawan Municipal Council (MPP).
“The two places could be linked with a
bridge and with proper planning, the place will serve as a good market area for
the communities in both DBKU and MPP areas. Both the DBKU and MPP can join
forces to take the market under their wings and I hope the state government
will consider this proposal,” he said.
Lo said another teething issue was a proper
space for a wholesale market as the wholesalers’ association had been
requesting the state government to provide them with a suitable place to trade.
“At the moment, they are trading at night
at Stutong Market’s parking area which is not conducive for trading as there is
no proper lighting and roofing. On rainy days, these people will be soaked to
the skin.
“Should an area be identified for the
wholesalers who are from Padawan areas, MPP will be happy to assist the state
government in the proper management of the area,” he said.
On crime situation in Kuching, Lo said
housebreaking, theft and robbery cases were still rampant.
“I understand that a lot of petty thefts
were linked to illegal gambling and drug abuse. Many residents in MPP areas
have voiced their concern on the number of ‘fish machines’ that have sprouted
overnight in Padawan areas. Signs and advertising for this illegal activity
were blatantly displayed.
“I know of people, young and old, addicted
to these games, and they were caught with
huge debts due to their addiction to the games. I believe that this
unhealthy addiction is the root cause of many social ills,” he said, adding
that game addicts even resorted to stealing from their own families to feed
their bad habits.
He said the only solution to this was for
the government to ban the import of the machines.
“The Registrar of Societies (ROS) issues
club licences but some of the applicants abused the licence to operate these
fish machines in their outlets, which is not right at all.
“At the moment, MPP allows such machines in
shopping centre where there should be zero tolerance for gambling activities
because at shopping centres, they are purely for family entertainment,” said
Lo.
By : NewsDesk
Sarawak Tribune
Date Posted : Thursday 24-Nov-2016
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