Kuala Muda whispering fish market breaks age-old tradition due to pandemic

KEPALA BATAS – The coastal community at the “whispering fish market” in Kuala Muda here has been forced to break with a quaint age-old tradition due to health risks posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Instead of haggling over fresh fish prices by whispering into each other's ear, the fishermen and their customers have now come up with sign language to ensure that they do not get too close to each other and risk infection.

They communicate to each other behind railings which have been specially installed to keep people apart.

They are also required to scan their MySejahtera apps, have their temperatures checked and apply sanitising lotion on their hands before entering the premise by the beach.

Most have learnt to get used to these new norms for the survival of the market known as Pasar Bisik.

Fisherman Khalid Samad said the railing was introduced when the government lifted the movement control order in May. 

“Previously, everyone was free to move around in the market, and whisper a price into the ear and the highest bidder would secure the sale," he said.

“But now we have to be more careful when we are in the market as we need to observe physical distancing,” he said.

On June 1, the Penang Health Department had ordered the market closed for seven days due to non-compliance with stipulated SOPs. The discipline in the market became stricter when it reopened.

Over the years the market has become a small tourist draw as people flock to see the "whispering" action and also get good deals for themselves.

The community at Kuala Muda, which is along Penang’s border with Kedah where the Sungai Muda flows into the sea, is believed to be the only one in the country to practice this whispering tradition.

Khalid said he leaves home at 7am everyday to work at sea and returns to the shore about three hours later.

“Earlier on, more customers came here to buy our fish but after the pandemic started there have been less of them,” he said.

“As a result, there is less demand and prices are low now compared to the days before the pandemic.”

Another fisherman Ahmad Fakrul, 20, from Sungai Petani said he is following in the footsteps of his 65-year-old father Fakrul Saiful Rahman, who has himself been observing the whispering tradition for more than 40 years.

He said they are still getting used to the new norms and fear being caught by the authorities for not wearing masks or breaking other health rules.

Mansor Nordin, 65, a retired staff from the Penang Port Commission who lives in Penaga near here, said he often comes to the market with his wife as the fish is cheaper than in the wet markets in town.

However, they seldom go to Pasar Bisik now as they wish to avoid crowded places. – The Vibes, November 4, 2020