“Are we not embarrassed? We talk about how great the likes of Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru are, yet when you look at the condition of the stalls where 80% of the people dine in, it looks like it is going to collapse and the lights are not working,” he said when launching the celebrations for the annual hawkers and petty traders day in Butterworth today.

He also lamented that the washrooms in the premises were either dirty or their toilets broken. “This is not something to be proud of?” he said.

Anwar recounted how he had immediately approved a RM5.6 million allocation to fix the Siti Khadijah market in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, while on a visit there. The roof of the market had been leaking for years, the floors were damaged and the toilets broken, he said.

Explaining why he made the allocation, Anwar said: “There are 2,800 hawkers and small entrepreneurs there, and I want Kota Bharu to also be known for markets, stalls and hawker centres that are clean.”