COMMENT | Be humane with our ‘kakak’ and ‘nenek’ hawkers

COMMENT | I’m not sure whether I have ever tackled the issue of illegal hawkers and petty traders here but never mind, there is always a first time.

This is prompted by a video forwarded to me yesterday by a friend which shows enforcement officers from a local council taking action against a woman hawker who, I assume, was trading illegally.

Although I believe the video is not recent as no one was wearing face masks, my concerns on the issue are the same, Covid or no Covid.

Such videos are also quite common and in almost all cases, it’s the high-handed enforcement tactics that I find worrying. This one is similar.

For one, I don’t think it is necessary to confiscate the foodstuff, tables and chairs of the traders at all. I think a compound should suffice if an offence has been committed.

While I understand the seized items may be tendered as court exhibits later, I would still urge the local councils today to act with prudence, understanding and compassion particularly during this difficult time of the pandemic...