THE Federal Government officially launched the Hawkers and Small Traders Development Policy 2030 (D3PKN2030) to empower hawkers and petty traders in the country.
Speaking at the National Hawkers and Petty Traders Carnival 2024 (HPPK 2024) at Butterworth Arena today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the policy aims to create a more conducive and sustainable ecosystem for them.
Developed by the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry, the D3PKN2030 contains five strategic cores, 15 strategies and 35 initiatives, all designed to create a holistic and conducive entrepreneurial ecosystem for hawkers and small traders.
“The objective of this policy is to improve governance, increase capacity and capability, and to encourage sustainable business practices.
“Through D3PKN2030, we’ll also provide a special allocation to fund various programmes, including HPPK 2024, to benefit hawkers and petty traders,” Anwar said in his speech before launching the D3PKN2030 and HPPK 2024 today.
HPPK 2024, organised by the Federal government through the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry, runs from Nov 1 to 3.
The carnival serves as a platform for recognition and a celebration of hawkers and small traders’ contributions to the national economy.
A total of 360 hawkers and petty traders are participating in the three-day event, which also features 30 food trucks and 22 state and federal agencies as exhibitors.
Anwar also urged state governments to focus on improving the condition of warungs, hawker kiosks and small stalls.
Recognising that 80% of Malaysians dine at these informal establishments rather than in high-end restaurants, he emphasised the importance of maintaining cleanliness and order.
“Although the country is seeing an influx of investments from multinational companies, we must remember the need for petty traders and stalls to serve the growing workforce.
“Not all multinational employees are in upper management, so it is essential to allocate space for these small business within industrial and residential areas,” he said.
Anwar also marked the 75th anniversary of the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM), congratulating the department on this significant milestone.
He also stressed the need to address leakages and wastage in government subsidies, which could be achieved with the help of accurate data and information provided by DoSM.
Anwar said if these subsidy leakages are not resolved, government spending on subsidies will continue to rise without effectively reaching the intended target groups.
Among the distinguished attendees at the programme today were Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick, Human Resources Minister Steven Sim, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Deputy Minister Datuk Seri R Ramanan, Penang State Secretary Datuk Zulkifli Long, Deputy Chief Minister I Prof Datuk Dr Mohamad Abdul Hamid, state Local Government, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jason H’ng Mooi Lye, state Youth, Sports and Health Committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen and DoSM chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud and Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi