KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — Several food vendors expressed their gratitude for being given the opportunity to open stalls at the three-day Kembara Riuh carnival which took place in Fraser Valley, Kuala Kubu Baru, Selangor that ended yesterday.

They were relieved at the opportunity given by the Ministry of Communications and Digital (KKD) to generate income after suffering severe losses due to the cancellation of the Good Vibes Festival (GVF) in Sepang recently.

One of the food vendors, who runs sausagesizzlemy, Nazri Adam, said that through the opening of his stall at Kembara Riuh for three consecutive days, he was able to record sales of over RM15,000.

"Thank you KKD for helping us victims (traders) who were affected by the abrupt cancellation of GVF, the sales results are very okay because Kembara Riuh has its own branding, so we were able to hit our target which was set before participating in this alternative event,” he told Bernama.

Another trader Ima Sallyza Ishak said the option given to do business at Kembara Riuh was like a ‘miracle’ after experiencing sudden losses due to the cancellation of GVF.

"Our business has just entered its second year and is very dependent on sales from the staging of events such as concerts. So, when given this opening, it gave us new enthusiasm to continue doing business,” said Ima Sallyza, adding that the sales results were also encouraging.

A local artiste Jaie, who was also affected by the cancellation of GVF, said the footprint subsequently given at Kembara Riuh was very important for the exposure new artistes can gain by performing in public.

"There needs to be more platforms like this at different venues so that local performers can showcase their artistic talents,” she said.

Yesterday, the Minister of Communications and Digital, Fahmi Fadzil through his twitter-sharing, uploaded a picture together with several vendors and traders at the Selangor edition of Kembara Riuh.

According to Fahmi, some of the GVF vendors were invited to open stalls at the Selangor edition of the Kembara Riuh (a carnival initiative led by KKD through MyCreative Ventures Group) for free and some others at the upcoming Penang Kembara Riuh from August 4-5.

Over a week earlier (on July 21), Fahmi had ordered that the remaining two days of the GVF be cancelled following the rude behaviour of The 1975 UK band on the first day of the concert, which also left some 20 food vendors and local band acts in limbo. — Bernama