THE Penang government is hoping that the Batu Maung Foodies@2nd Bridge would be the upcoming attraction in the state.
State Entrepreneurial Development, Trade and Industry Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain said the public could patronise the spot for a wide range of street food and enjoy the amazing backdrop of the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge.
“We thank the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) for preparing the site for the hawkers, and the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) for assisting in the organiser’s licence approval.
“We also thank ShopeePay Malaysia for contributing 20 push carts to the B40 hawkers as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
“ShopeePay Malaysia had contacted my office to express its intention to assist the B40 traders to grow their business.
“My office identified the eligible hawkers and presented them with the push carts. Previously, most of them were hawking by the roadside without proper licence because the locations which they were trading were unsafe.
“The hawkers can now do their business in a nice location here.
“The recipients of the push carts also benefitted from the use of the ShopeePay digital payment service,” he said in his speech before the opening ceremony of the Batu Maung Foodies@2nd Bridge yesterday (Jan 8).
PDC chief executive officer Aziz Bakar said PDC was honoured to be part of the effort to grow entrepreneurship in Penang.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow congratulated and thanked the state Entrepreneurial Development, Trade and Industry team under the leadership of Abdul Halim for their commitment.
“We welcome and thank ShopeePay Malaysia for choosing Penang to implement part of its CSR initiatives.
“ShopeePay Malaysia, with its theme ‘ShopeeGivesBack’, contributed 20 push carts to the state government; and these push carts were then given to hawkers from the B40 community who were severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The state government has assisted various communities in different ways to help them cope with the challenges of Covid-19. We spent over RM200 million in aid within this two years,” he said.
Chow advised the people to continue observing the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to stay safe.
The opening ceremony also saw a mock presentation of the push carts by ShopeePay Malaysia to the Penang government.
Chow, Abdul Halim, Aziz, ShopeePay Malaysia head Alain Yee, and other VIPs visited the hawkers there after the ceremony.
Story by Christopher Tan
Pix by Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi
Video by Ahmad Adil Muhamad