Ismail Sabri Yaakob has pledged to approve all the requests made by the hawkers and petty traders’ associations, should he be made the prime minister again after the 15th general election (GE15).
He also called upon the hawker and petty trader community to help him when it is his turn to ask for their assistance.
Addressing a strong crowd of thousands of hawkers and petty traders at Dataran Merdeka today, he shared how he, too, was a hawker while in primary school, selling lemon and fish.
"The hawkers are close to my heart. I was once a hawker myself when I was in primary school. I was a lemon hawker on the sidewalk and I even sold fish at the weekly market in Temerloh town.
"I was a hawker myself, my life was the same as the one of a hawker. Therefore, I had gone through whatever experienced by them.
"That's why whatever request is made by the hawkers’ associations, I will definitely approve them," the caretaker prime minister said when attending the hawkers and petty traders mega festival today.
"Maybe the hawkers association will come to see me with a memorandum, I have yet to read the letter. However, if this government returns to power, we will approve it."
Ismail Sabri also took pride in the assistance rendered to the hawkers when he labelled himself as the "first father of the hawkers’ association" (bapa pertama persatuan penjaja).
"There was once when the hawkers’ association was not placed under the jurisdiction of any ministry. I announced that they are under the then Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry, which was led by me. So, I am the first father of the hawkers’ association."
"Lately, I also received a letter from another hawkers’ association, asking me to become its patron. And I replied, even though I am a prime minister now, I am still part of the hawkers association. I hereby agreed to be made the patron of the Malaysia Federation of Hawkers and Petty Traders.
"I only request that when I ask for help, please assist me. The hawkers will exercise their rights on Nov 19 and give their trust to the party that is able to help and take care of their welfare," he said.
Ismail Sabri, however, stopped short of elaborating on what kind of help he would ask the hawker community.
Asked to elaborate on this later, he told the media that it is up to the interpretation of others.
When asked if this could be interpreted as 'you help me, I help you'? He said: "Yes. You help me, I help you. Okay, lah."
"It's up to them to give their views on what it means," Ismail Sabri added.
Elaborating further, he said the five hawkers and petty traders’ associations in the Federal Territories had submitted their memorandum to the caretaker government.
As a caretaker prime minister now, he said, he could not approve any of the requests brought up by the hawkers.
However, he believes that these associations were mainly asking for allocations. - Mkini
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