MeHDA president Daryl Chong said Universiti Putra Malaysia economic analyst Mohd Yusof Saari had claimed that motorcycle food delivery riders and e-hailing drivers are in occupations which do not have any dignity.

He said Yusof had made these comments when asked about shared prosperity during a Budget 2020 dialogue, aired on Oct 11 on TV3.

Yusof had claimed that more and more young people these days chose to be in this profession.

Chong said e-hailing drivers ferry passengers as a halal source of income and many of them had little career options due to various unforeseen circumstances and unfortunate situations.

“Rather than getting involved with illegal activities for income, we choose to become e-hailing drivers to earn an honest living or make some pocket money through what we currently have in our hands — a vehicle and the ability to drive!” he said in a statement.

“What Dr Mohd Yusof failed to recognise was that not everyone in Malaysia is as lucky as him to get an education, have a degree and read a PhD from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.”

Chong said Yusof’s remarks were “truly disparaging, uncalled for, insensitive and hurtful”.

He regretted the lack of empathy towards e-riders from such a learned person.