Association laments inaction against alleged Ramadan bazaar cartel

 

Federation of Hawkers and Traders Association of Malaysia president Rosli Sulaiman (left) and special officer Nasir Frozdin  showing the police and DBKL reports at a press conference today.

KUALA LUMPUR: 

The Federation of Hawkers and Traders Association of Malaysia is urging authorities to act on a long-running cartel allegedly selling Ramadan bazaar lots along Lorong Tunku Abdul Rahman to the highest bidder.

Its president, Rosli Sulaiman, said the association had lodged reports with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on Feb 24 and the police on March 13, but claimed no action had been taken.

“This has been happening for years and years. We even sent letters to the federal territories ministry, but we did not get a reply,” he told a press conference here today.

According to Rosli, the association’s investigations showed that brokers working for the alleged cartel were not on the official list of authorised vendors.

He alleged that a broker known as “Jai” was selling lots for RM10,000 to RM12,000, while another, identified as “Mike”, was reportedly offering lots at RM12,000.

“We also found that out of the 216 lots, only 50% are being held by their rightful owners,” he said.

Rosli urged the authorities to take decisive action to dismantle the cartel’s control of the bazaar.

Previously, federal territories minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa had given an assurance that licences for lots at Ramadan bazaars in Kuala Lumpur would be given out in a transparent manner.

She said Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) would oversee the lot allocation process and urged dissatisfied parties to file complaints. - FMT