Trading lots for the Ramadan bazaar in Jalan Masjid India are highly sought-after and leads to illegal subletting activities, despite DBKL’s various efforts to prevent it.
THE strategic location of Jalan Masjid India (JMI) and Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman (Lorong TAR) in Kuala Lumpur has made the lots at Ramadan bazaars here highly sought-after by traders.
Consequently, some groups took advantage of the traders’ desperation and profited from it.
A trader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told StarMetro that not all who applied for the bazaar lots were actually interested in trading.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) offered 405 lots in JMI and 151 lots in Lorong TAR, to all petty trader licence holders in the city this year, but received 10 times more in applications.
“DBKL uses the balloting method to give all applicants a fair chance. But some who do not need the lots also try their luck, to sell it to others for profit if they get one.
“Brokers wait at the balloting hall to offer a price to opportunist traders for their lots.
“The brokers will get a buyer for that particular lot and include two photographs of them as assistants in the application for permit of the successful applicants.
“The trading permit fee is RM1,500. The brokers collect the permits from successful applicants after the DBKL briefing, and sell the permit for a much higher price.
“A lot in Lorong TAR is said to be sold at between RM5,000 and RM10,000, while a lot in JMI can fetch between RM15,000 and RM20,000.
“It happens every year. The traders who get the lots but do not want it and those who want the lots but do not get it, will look for these brokers,” the trader explained.
It was learnt that one trader submitted 10 applications this year to increase his odds but still failed to get a single lot.
“It is easy for DBKL to ask the traders to lodge a complaint against the brokers but we are worried for our rice bowl.
“If the brokers find out that we have complained, we will never be able to get a lot anymore,” said the trader, adding that there were loopholes in the system that must to be rectified.
Another trader said that besides the subletting of lots, some successful applicants were forced by an association to move to another spot.
“A couple of days into the bazaar opening, an association asked some 15 traders from Jalan Bunus to relocate to Jalan Bunus 6.
“Jalan Bunus 6 was not originally a trading site listed by DBKL in the balloting process, as there was a group of food traders operating there all year round.
“The association claimed that DBKL had offered them the 15 lots in Jalan Bunus, which the association then sold to traders for between RM3,000 and RM4,000.
“The food traders in Jalan Bunus 6 were relocated and the bazaar trading lots were subsequently marked out in the space vacated,” said the second trader.
“We hope the Federal Territories Ministry and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will look into this matter,” the trader added.
StarMetro reported last year that due to allegations of corruption and mismanagement by various parties, DBKL decided to do away with the usual method of directly allocating lots to hawker associations, political parties and NGOs, which had been the way it was done in previous years.
Instead, DBKL had implemented the balloting method to be transparent and give every trader a fair chance.
It is learnt that MACC has been alerted to the issue.
DBKL Licensing and Petty Traders Development department director Anwar Mohd Zain said enforcement was conducted continuously to catch those who sublet lots.
“There are too many lots in the city to check and we appreciate if the public can lodge a report or tip us off.
“We have caught traders guilty of subletting their lots and have blacklisted them.
“We are trying to be as transparent as possible and work with MACC to conduct the balloting process for the distribution of trading lots. We also welcome suggestions on how to prevent such cases,” he said.
Setiawangsa MP Datuk Ahmad Fauzi Zahari said it was unfortunate that some people were taking advantage of DBKL’s noble intention of giving business opportunities to petty traders during festive seasons.
“It is a very difficult situation to solve. The permit has photos of the successful applicants and their assistants for verification purposes during enforcement.
“But if that document has been altered to suit the culprits, DBKL needs to find another way to tackle the problem,” he said.
