05/07/2026 10:22 AM

Sungai Rengit Traders, Fishermen Hope Assemblyman Solves Infrastructure Issues

By Muhammad Saufee Rosman

KOTA TINGGI, July 5 (Bernama) -- After almost a decade of operating at a temporary site, the community of traders at Medan Selera Sungai Rengit here have high hopes that the elected representative in the 16th Johor state election will be able to end the infrastructure and security crisis that has beset them.

The coastal town of Sungai Rengit, which is located in the Tanjung Surat state constituency, is a strategic focal point for residents and industrial workers of the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC).

However, the lack of facilities at the food court is now affecting the comfort of traders and customers.

Traders say they have had to do business in less comfortable conditions since being moved from their original location to make way for a development project, in addition to describing the new site provided near the temporary location as less strategic for them to run their business.

Beverage trader, Lai Swee Hong, 56, said that although the new site has been provided, the location is not suitable because of the limited parking space and being on a one-way road, making it difficult for traders and customers.

"So, if we continue to operate here, we hope that this temporary site will be upgraded because the location is more strategic and customers are also used to coming here," she said when met by Bernama, at the temporary site of Medan Selera Sungai Rengit here, recently.

Continuing, Lai said that initially she and the other traders were informed that they would only operate at the temporary site for about a year and a half, but the process of moving to the new location took longer than expected without knowing the real reason.

According to her, the lack of solid basic facilities has caused the stalls, which only have canopy roofs and plywood walls, to be in a dilapidated condition, as well as being exposed to the threat of crime.

"Our stalls have no doors so they are easy for thieves to enter, as well as being exposed to the elements, such as rain and hot weather," said Lai who has been in business for 30 years.

Similarly, food trader, Wini Fasiha Zawawi, 35, hopes that the security aspect will be given immediate attention following several theft cases at the food court since last year.

The resident in the Sungai Rengit area said that although a police report has been made and the problem has been reported to the local authorities (PBT), no action has been taken in terms of security.

"Despite the police patrolling, cases of lost goods still occur and affect our income as small traders even though the losses do not reach thousands of ringgit," she said, adding that she had lost several kitchen appliances due to theft cases.

Apart from the trader issue, the fishing community in Sungai Rengit also expressed hope that their welfare will continue to be protected, especially in the face of the pressure of the cost of living and the increase in operating costs at sea.

Fisherman from Kampung Sungai Rengit, Sin Hock Hwee, 65, said assistance such as existing fuel subsidies should be continued and improved to offset the increase in the cost of living and operating costs.

“The fuel subsidy really helps a lot, so we hope it can be continued and if possible increased so that we can continue to earn a living without being too burdened with operating costs,” said Sin who has been a fisherman since he was 15 years old.

For Hidayat Isa, 35, he wants the elected representative to be proactive in upgrading facilities at the jetty and is sensitive to the voices of young fishermen in the area.

“Facilities at the jetty, assistance to fishermen and our voices must continue to be heard so that the fishing community in Sungai Rengit can continue to grow and hopefully Kampung Sungai Rengit can be made an adopted village for the next elected representative,” said the registered voter in the Tanjung Surat constituency.

The Tanjung Surat state seat is seeing a one-on-one contest between Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Faizul Abdul Ghani and Aznan Tamin, the incumbent from Barisan Nasional (BN).

The Johor state election is seeing 172 candidates contesting for 56 state seats with polling day set for July 11, while early voting is on July 7.

For the latest news on the 16th Johor state election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/johor

-- BERNAMA

 

N39: TANJUNG SURAT : 26,943 voters

1. Faizul Abdul Ghani (PH-PKR)

2. Aznan Tamin (BN-UMNO)

(2022: Aznan Tamin: UMNO: Maj: 5,903)


 

 

Keywords

Latest News