Coffee Shops Criticises Bureaucracy, Hii King Chiong Likes Unique Culture

28.06.2015--Guest-of-honour Dato Hii King Chiong said the freedom of speech in coffee shops allows the public to denounce, criticise and accuse irresponsible bureaucrats who receive salaries from the people but do not care about the people’s interests.

It is a unique culture where people mingle in coffee shops and voice their opinions. People derive great sense of satisfaction when they share the same opinion and release their anger especially on matters of frustration and disgruntlement. We can see members of the public dropping in coffee shops daily before going to work – this is the “charm of coffee shops”.

Hii made the statements in his speech tonight during the 39th anniversary cum welcome banquet organised by Miri Coffee Shops Association at Boulevard Restaurant.

He said coffee shop is an important place where many things can be done from eating and drinking, chatting, doing businesses to making significant life decisions. He too had found inspirations to resolve important matters at coffee shops.

He pointed out that people who said “problems cannot be solved in coffee shops” were not only wrong but they had also looked down and humiliated the industry and its occupations.

Hii recalled an incident where a politician made insulting remark on an election candidate running fried kuey teow business but ended up losing his own political future. He said that coffee shop operators and hawkers are to be respected and not bullied.

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