Group rejects rental moratorium for MyKiosk operators, moots discount

 The Federation of Malaysian Hawkers and Traders Associations says a rental moratorium will not tackle hawkers’ long-term cost challenges.

Launched in 2023, the MyKiosk initiative aimed to provide traders with a safe and comfortable space to operate their businesses, and to improve the image of roadside stalls. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 The Federation of Malaysian Hawkers and Traders Associations has rejected a proposal for a six-month rental moratorium for MyKiosk operators and called for a 50% reduction in rental rates instead.

Its president Rosli Sulaiman said a moratorium would offer only temporary relief and not tackle hawkers’ long-term cost challenges.

“A moratorium would only be for six months. After that, traders will be burdened again. It is better to reduce rental rates by 50%,” he told FMT.

“That would better help small traders who are struggling with the rising cost of living.”

Rosli also proposed that the reduced rental rates remain in place until economic conditions stabilised.

He added that lower rental rates would also help revive MyKiosk units in less strategic locations, particularly those that were underutilised.

Rosli pointed to Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s move to reduce rental rates by up to 50% from April 1 this year until Dec 31, 2027, as an example that could be expanded nationwide.

Meanwhile, vice-president of the Malay Hawkers and Small Traders Association, Mohamad Abdullah, said a rental moratorium should be implemented together with a 50% rental reduction.

He suggested a more flexible approach for smaller kiosks that did not require licences or operated by the roadside.

“A moratorium of up to one year should be considered to allow them to grow from small to medium enterprises,” he said.

If a moratorium cannot be implemented, he said local authorities should consider reducing rental rates by between 50% and 80%.

“Their income may have been sufficient in the past, but now with rising costs, profit margins are shrinking,” he said.

Earlier today, Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan proposed a six-month rental moratorium for MyKiosk operators to ease the burden on small traders grappling with rising operating costs.

He said micro-entrepreneurs were facing mounting challenges due to higher fuel prices, logistics expenses, and raw material costs, all of which were eroding already thin profit margins.

Wan Saiful estimated the cost of such assistance to be between RM8.6 million and RM13 million based on 7,243 kiosks nationwide with monthly rental rates ranging from RM200 to RM300.

Launched in 2023, the MyKiosk initiative aimed to provide traders with a safe and comfortable space to operate their businesses, and to improve the image of roadside stalls. - FMT