NASI lemak, cakes and coconut drinks are new sources of income for many Malaysians who lost their jobs when the economy went into a nine-week lockdown due to Covid-19.

The Statistics Department estimates that more than 800,000 citizens were unemployed in May, when most parts of the economy were shut from March 18 to May 12.

Those who lost their jobs and traditional sources of income during the movement-control order (MCO) shared with The Malaysian Insight how they decided to go into hawking by the roadside to make ends meet.

These new “post-MCO traders” tell of the challenges they face, such as getting around local council rules and dealing with inconsistent sales.

Some are grateful that their month-old ventures are starting to bear fruit, while others are still experimenting with what dishes and snacks sell best.

But, all are hoping that as the months go by and the economy improves, they can earn back the amount of income they have lost.

Harun Yakub

A former electronics salesman and restaurant owner, 60-year-old Harun has seen many ups and downs in his hometown of Kota Baru, Kelantan, and now, in Puchong, Selangor.

He has operated one electronics shop and three eateries, and currently rents out PA systems for wedding feasts, corporate events and religious ceremonies.

In his decades as an entrepreneur, he has never seen an economic downturn like the one caused by the pandemic.

“This thing wiped out all of my main income, and we could only sit at home and wait it out. In the past, I could still go out and open my shops.”

Since social gatherings were outlawed during the MCO and conditional MCO, Harun could not earn an income from being a freelance master of ceremonies.

“After sitting at home for almost two months and steadily depleting our savings, my wife and I said we can’t just not do anything.

“So, we decided to pool some of the money we still had and began selling nasi lemak in the morning,” said Harun at his makeshift stall of two tables set up at his flat’s parking lot.  

The sales from the stall have netted the couple the equivalent of half the income Harun used to earn from his PA system rental.

“It’s not as much as we are used to getting, but I will continue doing this while waiting for things to get better.”

Kamarulzaman Ibrahim

The father of four was the only one who told The Malaysian Insight that he will likely continue selling street food and not return to his old business.

Before the MCO, Kamarulzaman made and supplied traditional Kelantanese cakes to pasar malam traders in the Klang Valley.

The 46-year-old started selling nasi lemak, nasi kerabu and cakes in June, as his usual customers did not return to the pasar malam.

According to the standard operating procedure to curb Covid-19 infections, pasar malam stalls have to be spaced 2m apart, and because of this, traders have to take turns each week selling at one site.

“So, my wife and I started selling street food instead of waiting for our usual traders to come back. It has been challenging as we are not used to selling our products ourselves,” said Kamarulzaman.

“But thankfully, our sales are good. I’ve been doing this for about a month, and I can see that the revenue I get from a day of doing this is more than what I used to get supplying cakes.

“In the coming months, if my sales are still good, I am thinking of doing this full-time.

“This is better than being a supplier because I have cash in hand. I don’t have to chase others for payment.”

Izzlyn Abdul Rahim

Like Kamarulzaman, 23-year-old Izzlyn was a supplier who lost her main source of income during and after the MCO.

She used to make and supply buns to school canteens, but could not go back to her usual clients even after schools reopened on July 15.

New SOPs at canteens have limited the number of food for sale to pupils, as they are not allowed to eat there.

“So, I had to open my own stall close to my house. I start at 11am and finish about 5.30pm because I share the same spot with another food hawker,” said Izzlyn.

She has expanded from cream and red bean buns to chocolates éclairs and red velvet cakes.

“The red velvet is quite popular with customers,” said Izzlyn, who sold all but one slice of cake by 1pm.

“I am making less here than when I was supplying school canteens. In the past, I could make RM200, even RM300 per day. But here, sometimes, I make as little as RM30 per day.

“The supply job earned me more money. But as a hawker, I feel happy when I see the excitement on my customers’ faces when they buy my cakes.

“Some of my clients are also my regulars now, and I’ll feel sad if I just stop selling to them. So, for now, I’ll keep doing this.”

R. Vijayakumar and S. Arukiasamy

Things are starting to slowly work out for friends Vijayakumar, 37, and Arukiasamy, 40.

Vijayakumar lost his job as a caretaker of a hostel in Kota Damansara when the MCO started in March.

He tried to get other jobs in the hostel industry, but was told that no one was hiring.

Feeling dejected, he and Arukiasamy started a stall selling coconut water in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, last month.

“During my days at the hostel, I could earn about RM3,000 a month, but now, our income is staggered.

“These days, with the coconut business, the income is not set. We can earn RM150, RM80 or RM50 per day.”

Their main challenge is getting a proper location.

“Last week, we were in one location in Bangsar, but we had to move because of Kuala Lumpur City Hall. So, looking for a proper location is a task.”

Arukiasamy, who lost his job as a despatch rider, is grateful to have the stall with his friend.

“For months, we were not doing anything. With this, we are getting some income. My father has died, so I’m the breadwinner in the family and I need to take care of my 62-year-old mother.”

Bawa Habir Mohamed

Bawa Habir lost his mixed rice stall next to Central Market, Kuala Lumpur, because of the pandemic, and is now keen to restart it.

However, the 42-year-old is facing an uphill task getting a location in the city.

“My wife and I used to operate our stall next to Central Market, but we were shut down in March.

“We are planning to restart our business, but we can’t find a suitable location. Local authorities are not allowing us to reopen our stall. So, we have to find a place where there are customers.”

He said they used to earn about RM500 a day at the old location, as it is surrounded by offices.

“My wife sells mixed rice, and she used to deliver to offices around the area. We had a lot of customers.”

To make ends meet, he is doing odd jobs out of his van. – August 8, 2020.