MBKS warns inconsistent hawkers: Mayor vows to remove non-compliant stalls

Wee addressing some issues during his ShallWeeTalk live session on Jan 6, 2024.

By Karen Bong

KUCHING, Jan 6: The Kuching South City Council (MBKS) has issued a stern warning to hawkers who do not operate their businesses consistently, opening only on weekends or remaining closed together.

Expressing disappointment, MBKS mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng said that he would kick out these hawkers as these stalls can be allocated to those who genuinely seek to make a living.

“I want to advise hawkers that the council will continue to monitor this situation. After three warning letters, non-compliant stalls will be instructed to vacate.

“Don’t abuse the low rental rates and retain the stall when you are not actively conducting business, as there are a lot of people wanting to apply for available spaces,” he said during his ShallWeeTalk live session today.

Wee advised those who possess stalls but do not require them to relinquish their licenses and vacate their stall to provide opportunities for genuinely interested individuals, especially during this challenging economic times.

“Holding onto a stall but doing business on a leisurely basis is unfair to those who really need a place to trade.

“Let’s cooperate and approach this issue with fairness. We are not targeting people but we hope to assist those who really need an affordable stall to make a living,” he added.

Meanwhile, Wee also announced the upcoming transformation of the Kueh Siak Hong hawker centre in Sekama, as the upgrading work for the 10 stalls is nearing completion.

“This revamped mini hawker centre is set to serve as a model for future hawker centre developments within MBKS jurisdiction,” he said.

Having inspected the upgrading progress this morning, he expressed satisfaction with the project which is set to be completed ahead of schedule and the handover to the council next week.

Addressing the complaints about roadside parking causing inconvenience and blocking traffic flow along Jalan Kueh Siak Hong, Wee pledged to resolve the issue and assured that traffic police would also take action to issue summons to illegally parked vehicles. — DayakDaily