Hawkers, petty traders warned against leasing their business premises

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Saturday warned hawkers and petty traders against leasing their business premises to others, especially foreigners.

He said they should utilise the facility provided by the government to improve their livelihood, instead of renting the premises to others to carry out business.

"I hate it, if I hear there are good business areas, but when we go there, we hear the language spoken by the traders is different.

"It is because we provide the facility to our hawkers and traders and they should be responsible, don't take the easy way by collecting rent from others," he said in his speech when opening the national-level Hawkers and Petty Traders' Day at Dataran Senawang here Saturday.

He said it was not a smart move or profitable act to lease the business premises to others, but a loss to the local hawkers and petty traders themselves.

Najib said if the hawkers and petty traders were able to optimise the opportunity and work hard, they would be able to get huge returns and be more successful.

The prime minister also urged the local government authorities to relax the condition for the people to be issued with business licence, as well as to abolish the annual fee for the licence for a certain period.

He said by doing so, it would encourage more people , as well as make it easier, for them to venture into business.

He said the hawkers and petty traders were always given serious attention by the government because they played an important role and could be regarded as the thrust in the country's economic structure.

The prime minister said 98.5 per cent of the businesses in the country were small and medium businesses, where 75 per cent of them comprised hawkers and petty traders.

"If we are to look in terms of efforts to expand business, the hawkers and petty traders are the people who should be assisted by the government," he added.

The government, he said, had allocated RM150 million for the next two years, to be given as loans through Bank Rakyat, for hawkers and petty traders.

He said a free-interest loan of RM3,000 would be given to those wanting to start business, while those who wanted to expand their business could apply for loan with the National Entrepreneurial Group Economic Fund (TEKUN).

Also present at the event were the prime minister's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Hasan Malek.