Johor govt to engage local councils in reviving unused MyKiosks
ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Johor government will convene a meeting with all 10 local authorities in the state to address the high number of unutilised MyKiosk units.
State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said the meeting was necessary to come up with solutions and ensure the initiative to support small traders continues to thrive.
"Before these kiosks existed, many single mothers, single fathers, and poor families were eager to start a business. Some were even evicted from their trading spots.
"Many traders are struggling, so I've directed that the kiosks be rent-free for the first six months. In my view, this is a good initiative as they provide legitimate spaces for many who previously lacked licences.
"Single parents and others now have a proper place to operate," he said during the Johor legislative assembly sitting in Kota Iskandar today, addressing an additional question from Puan Gan Peck (PH–Penggaram) on the current status of the MyKiosk initiative.
Expanding on the matter, Bukit Permai assemblyman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said a brainstorming session involving all 10 local councils will be held to come up with creative approaches to revitalise the kiosks and support small traders.
"When I visited some of these kiosks, traders told me there's no water supply. They're relying on solar power and don't even have proper setups to cook food.
"Can we relocate the idle kiosks to better spots and ensure they have access to water and other facilities? We want these kiosks to truly benefit the people, so we need to place them in strategic locations," he said.
"If needed, we can arrange skills training for traders. The point is, if we're going to help people, we can't do it halfway," he added.
This comes in response to widespread social media posts highlighting how many MyKiosk units, a national initiative by the Housing and Local Government Ministry, have remained empty or abandoned, largely due to inconsistent trader participation. – BERNAMA
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