Malaysia moves to clean up its street food scene with shiny new kiosks topped with solar panels

Straits Times

01-06-2025

While the project has generally been given the thumbs up by the public, criticisms include low traffic and poor earnings at some locations. PHOTO: MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT MALAYSIA/FACEBOOK
Malaysia moves to clean up its street food scene with shiny new kiosks topped with solar panels
KUALA LUMPUR - Mr Syed Nurul Fakhri was selling nasi kandar under a flimsy canopy in Petaling Jaya city for five years, setting up his stall in the mornings and packing things up in the evenings to avoid his utensils from being stolen overnight.
That routine changed a month ago when he received the keys to a new kiosk, solar-powered with LED lights and a lockable door, in the same area.
'I am very thankful for the kiosk,' the 45-year old told The Straits Times. 'I can lock up my things. They won't go missing.' The clean surroundings where similar kiosks have also been set up by the Malaysian government has helped sales of his nasi kandar, or rice served with curries and other dishes.
The monthly rent of RM120 (S$36) is 'reasonable', he said, adding that it's early days yet. His takings were as much as RM500 a day previously.
He is among thousands of Malaysian street hawkers who are giving these shiny new food kiosks a try, with the government sinking RM150 million into MyKiosk. The project was launched in 2023 to give small traders the opportunity to run their businesses legally, in a standardised, safe and hygienic environment, as well as relocating them to more strategic locations.
After selling nasi kandar under a canopy for five years, Mr Syed Nurul Fakhri now runs his business at a brand-new MyKiosk in the same area.
ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN
The project's main promoter is the hard-charging Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, who said the government is giving a leg up to small traders, many of whom operate in unregulated conditions.
Street hawkers all over the country often set up makeshift stalls by the roadside, selling drinks, banana fritters and fried noodles, among other things.
'With MyKiosk, we are 'legalising' their businesses by offering free rental for the first six months and (thereafter) a maximum rental rate of RM10 per day,' Mr Nga said earlier in May .
Vendor Mohd Azizan, who rents a kiosk in the same location in Selangor state as Mr Syed Nurul, said: 'Customers say the place looks clean and attractive. This is better and more comfortable for me too.'
Since moving into his kiosk on May 14, daily sales for his rojak buah (Asian fruit salad) have jumped from RM100 to between RM180 and RM200.
Still, not everyone has had such a positive start.
Ms Jamilah (not her real name), used to sell nasi lemak near bustling Jalan Tun Razak in capital Kuala Lumpur for two years, setting up her stall under a shady tree. There was no rent to pay, so she enjoyed good earnings.
But like other street vendors in Malaysia, operating without a licence could get her into trouble when the municipal authorities conducted their regular checks.
'I used to sell nasi lemak by the roadside. Sales were better, but I got chased away by the authorities. I applied for this (kiosk) because it's legal,' she said.
Ms Jamilah moved to her RM300-a-month kiosk in the Klang Valley area in September 2024, more than 5km away from her former spot. Business is still 'quite slow', she says, with daily sales of around RM300 to RM400 a day compared to about RM500 prior to the move.
While the MyKiosk project has generally been given the thumbs up by the public for cleaning up the street food scene, criticisms include low traffic and poor earnings at some locations, as well as shortcomings about water and electricity supply.
Mr Nga, the Cabinet minister, had praised the solar panels atop each kiosk, saying these eliminated electricity bills, but some vendors have posted on social media and spoken to reporters about the solar power generated lasting for only about four hours in the evenings.
Others pointed to the lack of water supply or even a sink for washing, and that some kiosks were in low-traffic areas, which resulted in poor sales.
'The location is not so good. I advertised on Facebook, but some people (still) couldn't find my kiosk,' said Ms Jamilah. She said the solar power generated at her kiosk usually lasts for four to five hours from 6pm, and there is no piped-in water or available supply nearby. 'I have to bring my own mineral water supply and a power bank for additional lights,' she added.
The ceiling has also been leaking and there was what looked like mould growth in her kiosk, she said. 'I was told I had to fix it myself. I painted over the 'mould', but it came back. It isn't safe for the food,' she added.
Another vendor in that same location closed shop after just a month due to poor sales, she noted.
In Selangor's Pandan Jaya township, of the 10 kiosks available for rent, only one was rented out and that, too, was shut when ST visited on an afternoon on May 27.
In Selangor's Pandan Jaya township, of the 10 kiosks available for rent, only one was rented out and that, too, was shut when ST visited on an afternoon on May 27.
ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN
Mr Mike Chong Yew Chuan of the Malaysian Chinese Association, a member of the multi-coalition government, told ST there were concerns over transparency, pricing discrepancies, procurement, and overall governance of the MyKiosk programme.
He said that Mr Nga has said kiosks in the Perak cities of Taiping and Ipoh were built at RM13,000 each. But in Melaka state, the same kiosk model cost up to RM22,000.
'Even after accounting for transport and local logistics, such a price gap is indefensible,' he said.
On May 22, the housing ministry submitted documents related to the MyKiosk initiative to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, insisting that no funds were misused.
Mr Nga said that a RM25,000 kiosk was be the ceiling price per unit for the project, and that some kiosks had been constructed for as little as RM13,000 through open bidding by local councils.
He said MyKiosk was managed by local municipal councils, with 795 contractors participating in the project, thereby ruling out allegations of cronyism.
He said price differences also stemmed from major upgrades in the improved version of the kiosks, rolled out under MyKiosk 2.0. These include larger solar energy capacity, improved electrical systems such as LED lighting, hydraulic windows and better-designed modules.
'These are Malaysia's first green energy kiosks,' Mr Nga said, noting that the new solar panels could generate electricity for up to 12 hours compared to four in the previous version.
According to his ministry, the MyKiosk 1.0 project achieved a 87.74 percent uptake, while MyKiosk 2.0 that was launched in December 2024 has a 65.44 per cent take-up rate.
A row of MyKiosks in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, yet to be occupied.
ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN
Responding to criticisms that the kiosks were located in poor low-traffic areas in Johor, state housing and local government exco member Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said it would review the MyKiosk locations.
'I have told the 16 local councils statewide to brainstorm and relocate those kiosks to more strategic places. We should help to promote the locations and offer training courses to the traders in need so they can improve their food products,' he was quoted as saying on May 23 by The Star daily.
In a separate venture to clean up street hawking, the government has also been boosting the food-truck scene by setting aside car parks and open areas for open-air dining in the evening, all over Malaysia. The Covid-19 pandemic led to a boom in the food truck industry as many jobless Malaysians scrambled to find ways to stay afloat.
Hazlin Hassan is Malaysia correspondent at The Straits Times.
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