Restaurant operators, hawkers stew Ku Nan over collusion claim

Restaurant operators and hawkers are seeing red with Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor for suggesting a collusion between them and opposition parties in hiking their prices.

Over the weekend, the minister, better known as Ku Nan, claimed that opposition-linked individuals sit in the hawkers and restaurant associations.

"I know that when there is an association meeting, those from DAP, PKR and the like play a role to negate everything the government is doing to ensure the prices are corrected," he claimed.

Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) president Ayoob Khan Muhamad Yakup dismissed the accusation.

“His statement about the involvement of opposition parties is not true at all,” he told Malaysiakini.

“Presma is a not aligned to any political party or NGO. We have not appointed any opposition member to be in our exco," he said.

"Prices have increased incrementally for the past three years. It's quite a drastic increment due to all the facts that we (the country) failed to handle professionally. It's quite unnecessary to accuse one group of being responsible for the increase in prices,” he added.

Ayoob said the removal of several subsidies, including for flour, cooking oil and sugar, was among the reasons which affected the price of food items.

He pointed out that many restaurant operators are struggling to cope with the rising cost of production and the escalating overhead expenses.

"Indian Muslim restaurants don't simply increase food price. Every food item has to be approved by the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry," he said.

'Check your facts'

Similarly, Pudu Market small-time traders and hawkers association chairperson Jeff Tan urged the minister not to politicise the issue.

"You should check your facts before saying something. Hawkers and petty traders do not wish to be dragged into politics as they are already suffering from rising cost and forced to pass this on to the consumers in order to survive.

"Cost has increased by 30 percent for this year alone, so it is only natural for traders to increase the price as well,” he told Malaysiakini.

Tan said new players who emerge when the economy is bad also bite into the profit, making it difficult for the existing traders.

“Many have been forced to shut down their business,” he added.

However, Tan admitted to associations appointing politicians as their patrons.

"But the politicians do not participate in meetings, which are called at least once in two months. And, we do not discuss price hikes. Price hike is the decision of individual members and traders," he added.

Kuala Lumpur bumiputera hawkers and petty traders association chairperson Rosli Sulaiman urged the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry to probe Tengku Adnan's statement.

Rosli said while some of the association's members have joined political parties, they are not allowed to discuss such matters during their meetings.

"Political parties cannot not instigate traders (to increase price), and no political party can influence an association (to do so),” he added.- Mkini