ALOR STAR: Petty traders and hawkers in the city's night markets were observably compliant with the state government's directive to temporarily suspend night market operations during Maghrib, effective yesterday.
Checks at the night market near Stadium Darul Aman yesterday evening found that traders were not entertaining customers during the Maghrib call to prayer (azan).
Kedah Hawkers and Petty Traders Secretariat assistant secretary Wan Muhammad Wan Ali said the ruling was well-received by traders, considering that night market activities usually only peak later in the evening.
He said that there were no strong objections to pausing night market operations for about an hour from 7pm to 8pm.
"I believe the ruling is beneficial, we're allocating time from 7pm to 8pm for a pause in operations. It provides an opportunity for Muslims to pray, benefiting both customers and traders.
"In general, the impact is not significant if operations resume by 8pm," he said when met at the night market near Stadium Darul Aman.
However, Wan Muhammad expressed slight dissatisfaction with the state government's inadequate communication regarding the ruling.
"There were no flyers, so many traders were unsure whether the ruling was real or not. I only found out about it through social media," he added.
Pickled food trader, Nur Hidayah Yusri, said she does not mind the ruling, foreseeing minimal impact on her business.
"Previously, my colleague and I would take turns to manage the stall and pray. However, I see the merit in this initiative... perhaps I'll invest in a signboard that says 'closed' to inform customers," said the 21-year-old.
Meanwhile, Hasli Hashim, a 42-year-old beverage trader, expressed hope for state government policies that could enhance income opportunities for petty traders.
"We hope the government will assess the situation of struggling traders. Customers are not as abundant as before, and most small businesses are shutting down," he added.
On Monday, it was reported that Kedah will be enforcing a ruling to suspend sale transactions at night markets during Maghrib prayers, effective on May 1.
State Housing, Local Government, and Health Committee chairman Mansor Zakaria clarified that non-Muslim traders and night markets organised at non-Muslim places of worship would be exempted from this ruling. (
Under the ruling, night market traders must halt business transactions 10 minutes before Maghrib prayers and resume between 10 to 15 minutes after the azan.
The aim is to facilitate Muslim traders, workers, and patrons to perform Maghrib prayers comfortably.
