Over 400 traders appeal to state govt for rental exemption

Compiled by C. ARUNO and ASHLEY TANG

MORE than 400 traders, especially those selling clothes at Pasar Siti Khadijah in Kota Baru, Kelantan, have appealed to the state government to consider exempting rental payments for their shops to ease their burden following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sinar Harian reported.

The market’s bumiputra traders association president Ahmad Nazri Che Omar said more than 200 clothes traders on the second floor of the market had lost their source of income for the past year.

“All of us survive on the sales at the market. We do not have other jobs. When the shops closed, we did not have any means to pay the rent.

“We hope the Kota Baru City Council – Bandaraya Islam (MPKB- BRI) will consider exempting rental payments for three months or at least give us a discount on the rent for six months.

“We are barely surviving as we also have to go through this for the safety of everyone. We adhere to the government’s directives but at the same time the government too has to look into our problems, ” he said.

> Roy, the singer of Ratnaku, has tested positive for Covid-19, Harian Metro reported.

The 57-year-old real name is, Mohammad Rauzan Alwi, said he was strong and accepted the results, adding that he accepted his fate.

“My family members right now too are undergoing self-quarantine at home while our family restaurant in Banting is shut down temporarily, ” he said.

According to Harian Metro, Roy has been admitted to Sungai Buloh Hospital. He was first admitted to Banting Hospital on Jan 23 as he could not breathe.

Separately, Astro Awani reported that Terengganu PAS commissioner Senator Datuk Husain Awang also tested positive for the virus last Saturday.

He is 75 and is being treated at Setiu Hospital.

PAS Terengganu communications secretary Muhyidin Abdul Rashid said Husain was in good health and was asymptomatic.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.