Petty traders eager to cash in on campaigning period

PETALING JAYA: Eagerly awaiting the announcement of the crucial date for the 15th General Election are the more than 1.5 million petty traders, hawkers and food truck operators nationwide, says Datuk Mohamad Abdullah.

“The general election will see a huge increase in business for petty traders and hawkers, especially the youth and those in the food truck business.

“We are expecting to see sales double during the campaigning period compared to the usual daily or weekend sales,” the Malaysian Federation of Malay Hawkers and Petty Traders Association president said when contacted yesterday.

He added that members were recently advised to stock up on essentials to meet an increase in demand during GE15, particularly in areas where contests are expected to be hot.

“There will be hotspots that will see large gatherings of people.

“Not everyone has the luxury of meeting up in hotels, and most will gather at the warungs and stalls instead,” he said.

Based on past experience, he said that members were also reminded to order extra supplies for this period.

“For example, instead of ordering 10 trays of eggs a day from suppliers, they may increase their supply to 50 trays.

“This includes ordering extra gas cylinders to meet brisk sales,” he said.

Mohamad added that members were also warned not to hike prices during the campaigning period.

“We will not defend those who hike prices if there are complaints made against them to the authorities,” he said.

On Oct 10, caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the dissolution of Parliament, paving the way for the general election to be held within 60 days or by Dec 9, the latest.

The Election Commission (EC) is set to announce the dates for nominations and polling today, with speculation being that polling will be held by mid-next month.

Meanwhile, Food Truck Association president and founder Azlan Abas said that several political parties have started asking around to book food trucks for their events.

“Some of us have been approached to see if we will be available during the campaign period.

“For us, it doesn’t matter which party is organising the ceramah. As long as there is a large crowd, we will find our way there,” he said.

Based on the previous general election, he said that most food truck operators are expected to double their earnings during the campaign period.

However, he noted that there is no guarantee that sales will be better than usual.

“During the previous general election, some food truck operators suffered losses as they were not paid, although bookings were made for the events.

“Also, there were events with large crowds but the response was low,” he said.

There are currently about 600 food truck operators in Selangor.

Both Mohamad and Azlan are looking forward to the gathering of hawkers and food truck operators at Dataran Merdeka today, which will be attended by Ismail Sabri.

The event is expected to gather over 400 hawkers and 200 food trucks. It is being used by hawkers and food truck operators as preparation before the general election.

On the other hand, Malaysia Budget and Business Hotel Association president Dr Sri Ganesh Michiel said that the sector will definitely see an increase in room occupancy but not profits.

“There will be a lot of movement of people across the country during GE15 and room occupancy will surely increase.

“However, this will not translate to higher profits.

“Most of the bookings will be done through online platforms where the prices offered for the rooms will be very low,” he said.

He added that budget hotels will also lose out to bookings made for short-term property rental accommodations such as Airbnb, which are not regulated.