Tough action taken by the Kuching North City Council (DBKU) on about 100 hawkers along Jalan Astana has resulted in politicians from both sides scurrying to the aid of the disgruntled traders.

The hawkers who mainly sell Malay traditional foodstuff are mostly considered to be supporters of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), the dominant party of Sarawak.

Thus far, two representatives from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) have already offered help, while another two prominent PBB elected representatives are expected to meet the affected group tomorrow.

Jalan Astana falls under the Samariang state constituency, which is expected to see a hotly contested affair in the upcoming state elections, which might be called anytime soon.

Typhoid scare

The hawkers are upset that DBKU has ordered them to relocate to a new market 3km away, citing poor sanitation practices by the roadside stalls at Jalan Astana as the main reason.

Earlier this month, the Sarawak Medical Department announced that one case of typhoid was detected in Jalan Astana and asked DBKU to carry out health check on the hawkers.

Yesterday, DBKU also distributed fliers alleging that the hawkers there are also a cause for typhoid fever.

One hawker, Senuyah Sahit, 47, denied the charge adding that the sole case does not justify moving the other 100 hawkers out of the area, as they have all been tested and cleared.

She claimed that not only was the new site an inconvenience to her customers, her business will also be severely affected.

Another trader, home-based eatery operator and self-confessed PBB diehard Rabaie Suhaili also claims that he was unfairly asked to cease business.

Memorandum submitted

Accompanied by state PKR legal advisor Dominique Ng and state PKR deputy wanita chief Nani Sahari, the hawkers today lodged a police report at the Kampung Gita police station against DBKU over the fliers which they claimed were defamatory.

Nani also handed a memorandum on the hawkers plight to DBKU Mayor Hamid Yusof this morning when the latter was attending an official function in Taman SukmaRia.

According to the memorandum, the hawkers strongly protested DBKU's action as unreasonable as it was carried out without prior consultation and lacking humanitarian consideration.

Hamid also gave two dozen hawkers the slip when the group tried to meet him.

"It's really hilarious. The mayor was playing a cat-and-mouth game with us. His driver was going round the building in his car to pick him the moment he could slip away without meeting us," said Ng.

However, a DBKU official later told the hawkers they could see him in the office on Monday.