By Ida Nadirah Ibrahim
SHAH ALAM, April 21 — In adapting to the movement restrictions imposed following the Covid-19 pandemic, the Selangor government is mulling another online business initiative to help small businesses in selling the products for the Hari Raya festive season.
Selangor Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said the state administration is in the final stages of introducing a Raya e-expo a week after Ramadan begins on April 24.
“We will launch another e-bazaar, which is the Raya e-expo, where we are in the final stages of finalising the initiative.
“This will allow sellers of songkok, kuih raya, and other Raya treats to market their products through an online platform,” said Amirudin during a Facebook Live interaction session with PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun and Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, today.
Amirudin said in 2019, a total of 16,445 businesses were involved in the state’s Ramadan and Raya bazaars.
“If we don’t help them adapt to the online business platform, we would worry that they this would affect their income and weaken the economy further because of the Covid-19 outbreak,” he said.
The proposed Raya e-expo is the second online platform initiative after the state’s Ramadan e-bazaar, which adopts the online order and e-hailing service.
“The cancellation of the Ramadan bazaar has a huge impact, and with the e-bazaar, we can help 10 to 20 per cent out of the total traders that could have been in business,” he said.
Meanwhile, Amirudin said about 98 per cent mosques in the state has been disinfected.
“This is part of our preparations should the Federal government life the movement control order (MCO) for the comfort of the people,” he said.
