YOURSAY 'I was there at the launch of the Penang Local Democracy festival, which was what it was all about until these goons came and interrupted the event.'

Angry hawker vents frustrations at Malaysiakini

Tholu: Is Persatuan Mukabuka Pulau Pinang leader Salleh Ismail one of the ‘victimised' hawkers?

It is not surprising that people such as hawkers and small traders including ‘pasar malam' traders are reading news on online news portals, but to know the readership figure of these sites? I myself do not know the readership figure of Malaysiakini .

Well, I can only assume that Umno and Perkasa members have now gone into masquerading as petty traders to instigate trouble against the opposition.

Odin: From the English used, language style, and the depth of knowledge in several disciplines exhibited by very many Malaysiakini readers in their comments, I surmise that they are mature, well-educated and well-read people.

By ‘mature', I mean having the capacity to reason in an intellectual manner and not biological age. Such people would not want to pay to read spun stories and to support the business of unethical concerns as Salleh has described Malaysiakini and its reports.

One asks, how does he know that this portal gets 700,000 hits a day?

A typical hawker would not have the time, neither the inclination, nor the, without meaning to insult, level of education to surf the Net, read various news portals, and to have come to the conclusion that Salleh has made.

At the most, he (the hawker) would merely scan a newspaper. Therefore, Salleh must have been coached on what to say. The party that coached him must have also paid him to do what he has done.

On the other hand, he could be a reasonably well-educated person with time on his hands to surf the Net and make analyses of the contents of news portals. If that is the case, one asks, why then is he a hawker?

Taikohtai: We must all give credit where credit is due. For example, many educated professionals form NGOs to fight for their cause with the hope of improving their lot and fellow human beings.

But after 50 years under BN, we have BN apologists like Salleh fighting in the name of destitute hawkers. Fifty years of ‘Janji ditetapi', but what have the hawkers go to show? Broken promises littering all the highways to Putrajaya more like it.

Now be a good boy and go fry me a nasi goreng, Mr Salleh.

Lucia: I was there at the launch of the Penang Local Democracy festival, which was what it was all about until these goons came and interrupted the event.

It happens almost every Sunday whenever NGOs hold events there. They will come and interrupt the event. So fed-up already.

Sure, they have a right to speak but they should not hijack other people's event. They can nicely ask permission from the organiser to speak or to speak after the event finished. In that way, I would be willing to listen to them but since they hijacked the event, and the event had to be cut short, I was very mad at them.

As this happens all the time, the police should do something, but they won't as we know they close two eyes to all the harassment by Perkasa/Umno members.

Peacemaker: This is unrully behaviour and we can see the same approach used in all the states under the Pakatan Rakyat government. There is a proper channel to vent their anger/displeasure but this act is acceptable.

Who is sponsoring or bearing the cost to the group to set up a service centre at the Esplanade every Sunday from 6pm to 7.30pm to service all hawkers? I don't see anything wrong if one just follows the law.

Slumdog: I would like to ask Salleh Ismail, who stated that Malaysiakini was "unethical and prone to spinning", what his opinion is in relation to reporting by Utusan Malaysia , Berita Harian, New Straits Times and TV3?

Onyourtoes: Come on Malaysiakin i, use your common sense. No insult to the hawkers, but this particular one knows how to say this: "You ( Malaysiakini ) have 700,000 viewers a day. Have you ever given space to the plight of these hawkers?"

Now, this looks like more of a statement by a politician than a hawker. Here, it is my take:

1) If these are genuine hawkers with genuine problems, I believe the state government or the MPPP (Penang Island Municipal Council) would have given them their ears.

2) If these are genuine hawkers, they would not have spent all day demonstrate here and there.

3) If these are genuine hawkers, they would not have demanded, blocked and damaged cars in order to see some state officials.

4) Genuine hawkers have no time; they are too busy earning a living.

Anonymous #18452573: It is the culture and way of Umno-Perkasa members. Their behaviour will one day come around and hit them because that is just how the world works.

Newdawn4pg@wordpress: Esplanade is congested enough. That's why it makes sense for the state government to refuse any licences for these hawkers to operate there.

This new state government, which was elected democratically by the rakyat of Penang, cannot simply accede to any demands from anybody - be it Malays, Chinese or Indians.

You don't always get everything you want and let other users of Esplanade suffer daily traffic jams in our beloved seafront promenade.

Fatmah: Salleh Ismail, please don't tell us that you are not backed by Umno or Perkasa or not even paid by them to behave in such riotous manner by stomping on official car and threatening public peace.

Had you been a Pakatan supporter, you would have been arrested and charged long ago. Even if you are a Pakatan man, you can be assured that you'll be sacked almost immediately as Pakatan do not need such a supporter.

Disgusted: Salleh is an Umno member and one of the trouble causers in the state since Pakatan took over the state government.

He has been seen in the many demonstrations carried out by Umno Youth and Perkasa. Now he claims to have voted for Pakatan based on the promises made to him by them before elections.

And he denies that the group was backed by Umno or Malay rights pressure group Perkasa. What a liar.

Wira: Salleh, you can deny. However, your modus operandi is typical that of Umno and Perkasa.

If you dare, please ask your supporters to put up the sign Persatuan Mukabuka Pulau Pinang on their hawking vehicles and display photos of their disruption of the DAP Hari Raya celebration at the Esplanade.

I am sure everyone will sympathise with your members' plight and stay away from their stalls.

Ngecui: In BN cultural parlance, "unity" means "come together to bully others". Never mind the devious rationale or lack of cause/principles. It needs plenty of fake victimhood too.

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