The Malaysian Insight

ALTHOUGH it’s been more than a week since Kelantan put up a ruling for all petty traders to stop their business activites for 15 minutes during Maghrib prayers, not everyone understands or agrees with the ruling.

While most Muslim traders agreed with the idea, a majority of their non-Muslim counterparts either disagreed or did not believe that the ruling extended to them.

Federation of Small Traders and Hawkers Associations of Malaysia president Yow Boon Choon said the state government in Kelantan should review its decision on whether to extend the ruling to non-Muslims.

Yow said it was problematic for non-Muslim traders to adhere to this ruling because it would disrupt their business.

“We have no objections if Muslim traders want to pray because they are Muslims. We cannot say anything about that. But for non-Muslims, it will disrupt their business.

“The state government has to rethink imposing it on the non-Muslims,” he said.

Yow, however, did not want to elaborate on the matter as it was “sensititive”.

‘Won’t apply to us’

Some hawkers The Malaysian Insight spoke to in Jalan Kebun Sultan, Kota Baru, were unfazed bythe ruling. While some felt it was not all that serious, others felt they would be exempted.

A “pau” hawker, who only identified himself as Chin, said the ruling would not affect his business even if it were enforced.

This is because the area where he runs his small business is a Chinese majority area and he felt it was unlikely the ruling would be enforced there.

“Fifteen minutes is not long anyway. This is unlike the Friday prayer ruling. If you are a trader in a shopping mall, the two hours is a really long wait,” said Chin.

“But for me, I don’t feel it at all,” said Chin, who started selling food here six months ago.

Kota Baru Municipal Council had previously instructed all business premises including those operated by non-Muslims to close their shops from 12.30pm until 2pm during Friday prayers.

Trader Ah Seng said he agreed that a 15-minute halt for prayers was very short. But he was unsure if the ruling applied to him.

“I hear people talking about it but it is not fixed yet. And I think it is not compulsary for non-Muslim traders,” said the 70-year-old who has been operating his family radish cake business for many years.

Trader Lee, 60, said there would be a slight disruption if the ruling extended to non-Muslims.

But Lee, who has been selling bread at the night market there for the past three years, said he had no power to stop it.

“They (the state government) made the decision. We cannot do anything. The only power we have is our votes.”

Local government, housing, youth and sports committee chairman Abdul Fattah Mahmood last week said they were ready to look at the requests by the non-Muslim night market traders to be exempted from the ruling, following complaints from the public.

He said the state government would only consider the ones in areas where Muslims were not the majority.

Nothing new for Muslim traders

Some Muslim traders The Malaysian Insight spoke to said they would close their shops during Maghrib prayers even if there was no ruling.

There, however, were some mixed reactions when asked whether the non-Muslims should be included in the ruling.

Food truck operator Nurul Wahida Ariffin, 32, who started her business three months ago, said that although the prayer did not involve non-Muslims, the ruling should be enforced on them as they had Muslim workers.

“We Muslim traders close our stores for Maghrib prayer and reopen after we are done,” she said.

Food trader Ahmad Zulkarnain Abdullah, 25, however, had a different view on the matter.

Ahmad, who has been selling food for the past one year, said although he agreed with the ruling, he felt that the state government should study it again if it wants to enforce it on non-Muslim traders.

“It will not affect my business as it shows our respect for the azan (the call for prayer) during Maghrib. But for the non-Muslims, they should study it first,” he said.

He said closing shops to perform prayers was routine for Muslim traders in Kelantan. – April 28, 2017.