PAT 2025: 141 TRADERS INCUR LOSSES AMOUNTING TO RM126,850

KANGAR, April 23 (Bernama) -- The total losses suffered by 141 traders during the Perlis East Wind Festival 2025 (PAT 2025) near Arau in February which was affected by rain, amounted to RM126,850.

Perlis Tourism, Arts and Culture and Rural Development Committee chairman Abu Bakar Hamzah said there were five trader lots allocated for the PAT 2025, which included Flora, Dry, Special Wet, Wet and Food truck lots.

"For the Flora Lot, the total losses were RM2,500, Dry Lot (RM13,500), Special Wet Lot (RM61,100), Wet Lot (RM45,750) and Food truck Lot (RM4,000)," he said during a question and answer session at the Perlis State Legislative Assembly sitting at the State Assembly  Complex here today.

Abu Bakar was replying to a question by Wan Zikri Afthar Ishak (PN-Tambun Tulang) who wanted to know the estimated losses of entrepreneurs affected during PAT 2025.

On Feb 22, Bernama reported that the rice field area in Kampung Lat Seribu, Tambun Tulang near Arau, which was the location for the festival scheduled to be held from Feb 21 to 23, was covered in thick mud after heavy rain in the afternoon of Feb 21, causing the locations of several activities to be changed.

The organisation of PAT 2025 is the 13th edition this year, organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) in collaboration with the Perlis State Government, which is managed by the Perlis National Culture and Arts Department (JKKN) and the Perlis State Cultural Council.

Abu Bakar said that following the bad weather incident at the PAT 2025 site, traders registered with the organisers were transferred to the State Assembly Complex to continue selling as usual until the last day of the fair.

In addition, he said that the follow-up action by the PAT 2025 organisers towards the traders who suffered losses was coordinated by the Event Organiser (EO), namely Syarikat Lanai Kijang Enterprise, through a consolation payment of RM35,800 to the 141 traders concerned.

Meanwhile, Abu Bakar said that the branding and restructuring of the fair involved a more inclusive, dynamic, productive and state identity-based approach that would be proposed for the organisation of the next edition.

“As we have been looking at this East Wind Festival for over a decade (i.e. it has been organised for 13 years), so we need to rebrand it...(among them) in terms of the duration, we need to increase it to at least two weeks.

“(In addition), in terms of diversity, we want to highlight cultural activities to the outside community, not just give opportunities to the Perlis community,” he said.

-- BERNAMA