BN Candidate For Lamag Pledges To Assist Kota Kinabatangan Pasar Tamu traders

KINABATANGAN, Jan 14 (Bernama) -- Mohd Ismail Ayob has pledged to bring a proposal to place all traders under one roof, as voiced by traders at the Kota Kinabatangan Town Pasar Tamu (Tamu Market), to the district council if he is elected to represent the Lamag state constituency.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the by-election for the seat stressed that the issues raised by the traders should not be taken lightly as they directly affect their livelihoods.

“If given the mandate, together with Mohd Kurniawan Naim Moktar (the BN candidate for the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election), we will discuss with the district officer and the newly appointed district council committee to find a comprehensive solution to reunite these traders under one roof,” he said.

He told reporters this after conducting a walkabout with traders at the market here today.

Meanwhile, river fish trader Hasbah Bayani, 43, said that since the trading sites were separated, the number of customers at the market had dropped by up to 70 per cent, while vegetable and fruit trader Suhaini Jupperi, 36, opined that the relocation of fish, vegetable and seafood traders to locations separate from the existing tamu market site was the main reason for the decline in customers.

The Lamag state by-election, which sees Mohd Ismail challenged by Mazliwati Abdul Malek of Warisan, and the three-cornered contest in the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election involving Mohd Kurniawan Naim, Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman (Warisan) and Goldam Hamid (Independent), were called following the death of the incumbent, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, 66, on Dec 5 last year.

The Election Commission has set polling day for both by-elections on Jan 24, with early voting on Jan 20.

-- BERNAMA