Penang govt irons out issues with Malay Chamber of Commerce

GEORGE TOWN: The state government’s meeting with the Penang Malay Chamber of Commerce to thrash out several problems – including claims that the rights of Malay traders were being sidelined – has been successful.

Chamber deputy president Syed Hassan Syed Ali Aidid said that following the meeting with Deputy Chief Minister 1 Mansor Othman, it was agreed that traders would be allowed to run their business at the Penang Road Bazaar and at the pasar Ramadan at Komtar Walk.

The demolition of the Do Re Mi Cafe in Tanjung Bungah today has also been postponed until further discussion, he added.

Syed Hassan told a press conference yesterday that Mansor also agreed to meet with the Penang Night Market Traders Association to find a solution to their woes over the issuance and renewal of night market licences.

Tensions between the chamber and the state started last September when the Penang Municipal Council tried to take action against traders at the bazaar.

During the meeting, Mansor, who heads a task force overseeing the issue of illegal hawkers and tearing down illegal buildings and structures, met the chamber’s committee, led by president Rizal Faris Mohideen Abdul Kader, and two representatives each from the Penang Road Bazaar and the Penang Night Market Traders Association.

“The meeting was a very good start. We finally sat down to discuss matters and both sides had a chance to better understand each other’s situation,” said Syed Hassan.