KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has assured small traders that the government will continue to aid them.
Muhyiddin, who was recently appointed as the National Recovery Council (NRC) chairman, said that traders will always be part of the government’s planning in resolving the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“A wide space is needed to be given to small entrepreneurs and traders to carry out business, in line with the government’s effort to ensure they continue to generate income,” Muhyiddin said on his official Facebook profile.
Muhyiddin uploaded the post after visiting a traders’ site in Setapak Jaya, which has been earmarked as a ‘free trade’ area in the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur in which small businesses sold food, beverages, and fruits, among others.
His post also comes following his appointment as the council’s chairman, which carries the rank of minister, as announced by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali on Saturday.
The appointment has so far received mixed reactions from both sides of the political divide, with pro-government politicians welcoming the move while opposition leaders chastised the appointment, alleging it was a continuation of failed policies to tackle the pandemic.
However, the Bersatu president and Pagoh MP said he felt happy after meeting the traders who indicated their desire to return to normalcy.
With almost all the traders having received at least one Covid-19 shot, they have been allowed to open their businesses.
“The happiness seen on their faces is a sign of the nation’s economic recovery becoming clearer,” he said.
“I was also proud to see standard operating procedures practiced by the traders and customers who all wore face masks and observed social distancing in their transactions,” he said.
Muhyiddin added that more assistance for small traders will be raised in the upcoming NRC’s inaugural meeting.
“Insya-Allah, I will take the appropriate steps in our planning to ensure more economic, social, health, education, cultural and other sectors be restored as how they were before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country.” – The Vibes, September 6, 2021
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