KUALA LUMPUR – Ramadan bazaar traders who rent or sell their sites to others, including foreigners, will have their business licenses either temporarily suspended or revoked by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
Federal Territories Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa told Scoop that DBKL will also blacklist the traders from carrying out business activities in the area to send a cautionary message against misdeeds.
She also said that the ministry, particularly DBKL, acknowledges and considers such exploitative actions seriously, which see traders taking advantage of the situation to illegally reap lucrative profits.
“DBKL will be firm this time around. Those who have any information on the matter are urged to make an official complaint so that investigations can be carried out.
“When we issue business licenses, it’s for them to conduct business, not to transfer it to someone else,” she added, urging bazaar site owners to comply with rules and regulations.
The minister also mentioned that the process for granting bazaar business licenses will be closely monitored and improved in the future.
Previously, Kuala Lumpur Bumiputera Traders and Hawkers Association president Datuk Seri Rosli Sulaiman disclosed that the rent for a lot in Ramadan bazaars at Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman can exceed RM15,000.
Claiming that the practice is a longstanding one which authorities have failed to properly handle, Rosli told Scoop that some of the sites are sublet to foreigners. This includes those from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, who are known to run businesses in the area.
He also said that the reason behind the site rental or sale could be attributed to how the owner might have no experience in trading the item, which the lot was meant to be promoting as regulated by the lottery system.
This also determines which businesses will secure a lot in the yearly bazaar. – March 17, 2024