KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — Putrajaya has announced a proposal for food delivery riders to form a cooperative to better represent the collective and potentially provide them with a long-term source of income. 

Entrepreneur Development and Co-operatives Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the cooperative would ensure greater welfare for these riders. 

"There are a lot of food delivery riders. 

"I am proposing that they form a cooperative where the delivery companies form a consortium to buy shares in it (food delivery companies),” Wan Junaidi was quoted saying in The Star. 

The minister said that with the formation of a cooperative that championed their needs, riders could have a long-term source of income. 

He said that the recently launched Tekun Mobilepreneur program, aimed at assisting these food delivery riders with interest-free loans to counter the impact of the movement control order, has benefitted over 200 riders. 

To date, Wan Junaidi said 250 riders have received interest-free loans of RM2,000 each to fix their motorcycles under the Mobilepreneur program. 

He added that five riders have been fortunate enough to receive RM10,000 loans, also interest-free, to purchase new motorcycles, with 48 other applications still awaiting approval.