RESTAURANT owners on the peninsula are not optimistic of more bookings for ceramah and other political gatherings as the general election nears.

While restaurateurs in Johor said they have started to receive bookings for campaign dinners since parliament was dissolved on October 10, their counterparts in Penang, Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Kuala Lumpur the opposite is true for them.

Johor Kitchen Association president Ang Swee Kiong said members are expecting 40% more orders in the run-up to polling day.

“The closer it gets to the polling day, the more orders there will be,” Ang told The Malaysian Insight.

In Penang, Penang Koo Soo Kwong Choon Tong Restaurant and Tea-house Association chairman Vinah Yee Yook Chee blamed the poor economy and lingering Covid-19 fears for the few bookings.

Yee said the trend now is to canvass for votes out in the streets and auditoriums where no food is served.

“They rarely choose to hold ceremah in restaurants now,” he added.

Malaysia Selangor and Federal Territory Ku Su Shin Choong Hung Restaurant Association deputy president Hor Chee Keong told The Malaysian Insight he has not heard of any campaign dinner bookings in Selangor.

The Federation of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Hawker Associations president Tan Luan Huat said business is usually good at election time.

He said business can go up by 30%.

Business isn’t so great for coffee shops, however.

Penang and Province Wellesley Cafe Association chairman Tan Kar Seong said coffee shops are not as crowded as they were during election time.

The internet has brought news and discussions to people’s homes, he said.

“Everything is available on the smartphone. People can join chat groups to talk politics at home. They don’t need to go to the coffee shop.”

While that might be the case in larger urban centres and cities, Tan said people are still meeting in coffee shops to discuss politics in the rural areas and new villages where internet connectivity is poor. – October 29, 2022.