MELAKA: After long hours on the road delivering food and ferrying passengers, about 2,000 gig workers received a timely Ramadan cheer when Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh hosted them to a "moreh" (sharing a meal after terawih prayers) and announced festive financial assistance ahead of the Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
The group, many of them in their 20s, cheered in excitement when the Melaka Chief Minister revealed that the state government had allocated more than RM50,000 in Hari Raya financial assistance for members of the gig economy community.
Ab Rauf said the gathering provided an opportunity for the state government to listen directly to the views and suggestions of gig economy workers in the state.
He said the relaxed moreh session also served as a platform for the state leadership to engage with the community, which plays an important role in supporting the growth of the digital economy.
"I joined p-hailing riders and e-hailing drivers from across the state during this moreh programme together with their association leaders.
"In this brief and informal gathering, the state government also contributed more than RM50,000 to the gig economy community, which we hope will help ease their burden as Hari Raya approaches,” he said at the event held at Seri Bendahara in Ayer Keroh here on Wednesday (March 11).
Ab Rauf said the state has more than 5,000 registered gig workers, with services such as p-hailing and e-hailing increasingly gaining acceptance and emerging as a new phenomenon in the country’s employment landscape.
"In this meeting, they also shared several views and suggestions related to the welfare of gig economy workers, including matters concerning their wellbeing, working comfort and various other issues,” he added.
