SHAH ALAM - Night market businesses nationwide are expected to collapse within at least the next five years if the government does not implement a fair mechanism to ensure online businesses do not continue to threaten the livelihood of hawkers and small traders.
Hawkers and Petty Traders' Association (PPPKM) president Datuk Seri Rosli Sulaiman, said that although they encouraged traders to explore online businesses, the reality was that it was not easy and not suitable for everyone, especially food vendors who relied on the physical presence of customers.
He said with the existence of online businesses, it was challenging for night markets to revive the vibrancy of the 1980s, a time when many people visited to purchase various essentials, including dry goods.
"If the government does not take steps to curb this online business system, night market traders will have no customers.
"If we want to maintain this online system, there needs to be a more detailed and comprehensive approach so as not to undermine these small traders.
"I see that if the current situation is left unchecked, in five years, night markets will fade away due to the lack of visitors. Perhaps when the traders run out of capital, the businesses will collapse,” he told Sinar on Sunday.
He was commenting on Sinar’s front-page report about night markets that had been dim, as the trend of online sales was said to be ‘killing’ the vibrancy of night markets in the country, particularly clothing, accessory and cosmetics vendors, as online shopping is seen as easier, cheaper and offering more variety.
The number of night market traders was also reported to be decreasing, with most of those remaining being food vendors who also faced the pressure of rising raw material costs.
Rosli further said that the development was indeed a current reality, even affecting night markets in Kuala Lumpur (KL), which has a higher population and purchasing power.
He stated that out of the 99 night market sites in the capital, with more than 12,000 traders, there has been at least a 30 per cent decline.
Many traders have also reduced their operating days at certain sites due to a lacklustre response.
"If KL is declining, what about traders outside the city? Profits are just enough to get by. The sales revenue does not allow for savings.
"When their livelihood declines, it also affects mental health and family institutions,” he said.