PETALING JAYA: Since the movement control order (MCO) was imposed on March 18, 36-year-old tech entrepreneur Ee Soon Seng (pix) has been kept busy.
He has two missions.
Firstly, he has to ensure that his companies, The Techy Hub and Studio20, continue operating given that his employees now have to work from home, thanks to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Secondly, he has to ensure that the public continue to patronise the hawker stalls near his home in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.
For any entrepreneur, fulfilling his first mission is standard, making sure his employees meet their deliverables.
But the second mission may be a little tricky.
“Ever since the MCO was enforced, many small to medium enterprises began to feel the effects as people have to stay at home, and this is especially so for hawkers,” he told theSun.
“I just decided to create this website The Hawker.my so that I can give the hawkers a web presence so that people would know that some hawkers are still operating and not relying on other platforms like Grabfood.”
To do so, users only need to key in information about the hawkers, such as what they are selling, where they are located, what their operating hours are, their phone numbers, and whether they offer only takeaways or delivery service.
“Most hawkers are not very tech savvy, but people who often frequent these hawker stalls can give them a leg-up by listing them in The Hawkers.my, to give them more attention,” he said.
Coverage by The Hawkers.my has spread across five territories, namely Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembilan, Penang and Johor, and has received many contributions from the average Joe who wants to save the livelihood of their favourite hawkers.
“It’s amazing to see so many people coming forward to ensure that our small-time hawkers still get to earn their keep, and at the same time, we give them a boost and shout-out on the web,” said Ee.
He also said he is doing this with a personal mission, so that he can still enjoy his regular hawker meals after the movement restrictions are over.
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