State executive councillor Zairil Khir Johari said the hawkers will be interviewed for alternative premises owned by the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) and Chief Minister Inc (CMI).
These premises include food courts at the Esplanade, Kampung Melayu, Tanjung Bungah, Desiran Tanjung, Medan Renong, City Stadium, Dato Keramat Padang, the Jalan Johor/Jalan Dato Keramat temporary hawker stall site (TPS) and the Jalan Utama TPS.
“This offer is for affected hawkers who genuinely wish to earn a living and applies only to those who are not currently operating at other venues,” Zairil said in a statement.
He said the appeal by the hawkers for extra time to consider the RM900 per month rent, including an offer of having the first three months rent-free and a cash aid of RM2,000, would be decided after the state election.
“As the Penang assembly has been dissolved, any policy decision can only be attended to after the state government is reconstituted following the state polls.
“No decision can be made with regards to their appeal for lower rates until then,” he said.
The food court, known as the Tanjung Bungah Astaka Hillside, was previously occupied by 33 hawkers rent-free within the premises, owned by the Prime Minister’s Department. They were only paying a monthly hawker licence fee of RM36 to the MBPP.
In early 2020, ownership of the food court was transferred to the state government by Putrajaya. Several months later, a fire destroyed the food court, throwing the hawkers out into the cold.
The state, through CMI, rebuilt the food court at a cost of RM3.5 million with 40 hawker spaces. It is managed by a private company responsible for its maintenance.
CMI and the private company invited the original group of hawkers to a meeting recently where they were informed of the new terms to take up a stall at the food court, with a rental fee of RM20 per day and a cleaning fee of RM10 per day, which comes up to RM900 a month.
The hawkers, unhappy over the high cost they would have to bear, held a protest outside Komtar and handed over a memorandum to CMI, demanding that MBPP assume full control of the food court operations.