By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, Jan 21: A total of 156 traders are participating in the Kenyalang Chinese New Year Festive Sales this year.
Of the total, 63 comprised of local shopowners who had set up stalls outside their premises while the remaining 93 were of public applicants.
Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng said the festive sales will run from today (Jan 21) until Jan 31, 2022.
“After two years of ‘no show’ due to Covid-19 pandemic, we are able to organise the Kenyalang Chinese New Year Festive Sales this year.
“However, there are still standard operating procedures (SOP) to be followed and we have cut down about 50 per cent of the total number of stalls participation,” he told the media during his walkabout at the venue around Kenyalang Park Commercial Centre today.
During his walkabout, Wee also presented ‘fai chun’ (traditional decorations), oranges and red envelopes to members of the public.
Previously, MBKS has opened applications to rent stalls for the festive sales since December 2021 with the stall space for public application reduced by 50 per cent.
The first day of the festive sales was not too busy as the traders started operating from 5pm onwards.
Among the distinct SOPs for the festive sales were the appropriate gap in between the stalls and wide walkways for the customers, which is aimed at promoting physical distancing.
An operator named Pamela Jee, 40, told DayakDaily that it was her first time participating in the festive sales.
Pamela, who is a full-time housewife hailing from Asajaya, said she came across an advertisement about the festive sales after scrolling through Facebook, which aroused her interest to earn some side income for her family.
“Following that, I applied to MBKS to participate in this Bazaar and sell dried pork products from a business company,” she said.
Meanwhile, another operator named Anis Haslina, 22, from Kampung Bintawa Ulu said it wasn’t a rare sight for Muslim businesses to participate in the Bazaar.
Selling kek lapis (layered cake) and assorted traditional snacks such as kuih sepit, peyek, muruku and popia, Anis said her family has been participating in the festive sales at Kenyalang Park for years.
“Although the coming celebration is Chinese New Year, traditional snacks are also popular among the Chinese, and we are able to generate quite a handsome income just by operating at this Bazaar,” she said. ― DayakDaily
