George Town – Penang State Executive Councillor for Tourism and Creative Economy YB Yeoh Soon Hin highlights that a 3P Partnership (Public – Private – People) will be an effective framework that complements the state government’s staunch commitment in aiding the iconic trishaw peddlers, pandemic or without. Yeoh in a statement today, thanked the public for raising awareness to the dire straits of the fellow trishaw peddlers, most of which are undergoing a sombre situation following the extension of Movement Control Order (MCO) that has frozen tourism activities.
“Ever since the pandemic outbreak, the Penang State Government through PETACE has launched a myriad of initiatives to help cushion their losses, including provision of financial assistance, daily necessities and long-term upgrading strategies. Yeoh said that certain measures were intangible such as the upgrading and rebranding of trishaw peddlers, which were aimed at streamlining their operations and facelifting their respective trishaws to reignite mass interest.
“Other than receiving a doubled monthly incentive payout of RM200 from June 2021 to December 2021, the trishaw peddlers were also given two times of “one-off” financial assistance under the Penang People’s Aid Package,” he added. Yeoh also said that his office has recently engaged more than 100 registered trishaw peddlers to facilitate and follow-up on their Covid-19 vaccination registration, ensuring that this vulnerable community is not neglected in the vaccination drive.
“On top of that, we acknowledge that many trishaw peddlers are elderlies who may have medical conditions, which is why we are also in the midst of arranging complimentary medical check-ups for them. “We appreciate the public’s concerns for our trishaw community and we look forward to an effective 3P collaboration that will safeguard the livelihoods of these peddlers.
“In fact, the entire tourism industry is practically at a standstill as the virus continues to plague the streets. Other tourism entities such as hotels, tourism agencies, theme parks, and tourism operators must also be taken into account in resource allocation and mobilization, ” he added.
Yeoh reassured that the state government is doing its best to navigate the tourism sector out of this unprecedented time, and pointed out that the Federal Government’s lack of robust strategies in restarting the tourism industry will hamper the tourism’s road towards recovery. “Any interested organisations, groups or individuals who would like to help the state government in assisting these trishaw riders can call 04-650 5133 or email [email protected],” he added.
