‘Overzealous’ clean-up of Brickfields scaring away customers, say shopkeepers

Shopkeepers and traders say legitimate businesses are continuously harassed by enforcement officers nearly on a daily basis, with the result that customers are keeping away. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Raymund Wong, September 29, 2015.

The business community in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, is furious over the authorities’ ongoing enforcement exercise to curb crime and vice in the area, which they claim is “overzealous” and which has caused their customers and profits to dwindle.

Brickfields Entrepreneurs Council president K. Selvaraj said enforcement involving the police, Immigration, Customs, City Hall and even the Federal Territories of Islamic Affairs department, ongoing since September 18, had caused a massive slowdown in business.

“We appreciate the initiative to rid Brickfields of the crime and vice menace that has plagued the area for many years and which is increasing over time… But the constant enforcement has scared many customers away.

“They are towing cars even at night. If there is proper parking then fine, but there are not many proper parking lots available. Even the parking complex they are building along Jalan Vivekananda is not ready yet,” he said.

According to Selvaraj, many illegitimate businesses closed since the start of the enforcement.

“They have closed. If you look at the red-light district or the gambling dens, they know what’s going on and have purposely closed for the time being… Yet, legitimate businesses are continuously harassed by enforcement officers, nearly on a daily basis,” he said.

Guna Segaran, who has been running his wine business in the area for 15 years, said his customers had declined by 70% since the enforcement began.

“I have all the appropriate licences and they will come, check and go. But the next day, another department will come and check and the next day, another department… it never stops,” he said.

Guna said in the past, there were parking spaces just outside his shop but they have since been taken away.New Gen Party secretary-general S. Gobi Krishnan says well-known gambling and prostitution dens and unlicensed bars have probably been tipped off as they have been closed since September 18, – The Malaysian Insider pic by Raymund Wong, September 29, 2015.

“For years my customers would park in front of my shop for a few minutes to pick up some things, but now, within half an hour, the Road Transport Department (RTD) or City Hall will come and tow the the cars.

"How is that fair to us? They don’t even give us enough proper parking  in the area, what are my customers supposed to do?” he said.

New Gen Party secretary-general S. Gobi Krishnan said the continuous enforcement was greatly affecting legitimate businesses.

“I can understand if enforcement is done over a day or two, but doing it continuously for 14 days and counting does not make sense,” he said.

Gobi said that there were illegitimate traders in places such as Petaling Street and Jalan Alor that the authorities could direct their attention on.

“If the authorities want to clean up Brickfields, please show your sincerity by closing down unlicensed outlets such as the glaring whore houses on Jalan Thambi Pillai, the gambling dens along the same road that are carefully concealed by mamak stalls, and unlicensed liquor shops and bars in the esidential areas and next to the Tamil schools in Brickfields.

“The irony is, the gambling outlets, shophouses offering prostitution and unlicensed bars have probably been tipped off as they have been closed since September 18,” he said, adding that as soon as the enforcement ends, it would be business as usual for them

Due to this, Gobi said it was essential that enforcement be carried out on particular areas and not for a long period so as not to tip off the illegal businesses.

“I call upon the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Razak), Home Minister (Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi), Mayor (Datuk Mhd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz) to take note of what is happening in Brickfields. You don’t need a hammer to kill an ant,” he said, adding that Pakatan Harapan should also pay a visit to Brickfields to see first hand on what was going on.

The Malaysian Insider previously reported that police were moving in to clean up Brickfields, which has long been a den of vice and crime.

Bukit Aman Crime Prevention and Community Safety deputy director DCP Datuk Zainal Abidin Kasim had said that the support of residents was essential in the “total enforcement” plan to eradicate crime in Brickfields.

“We will be working with the residents and agencies such as City Hall and Immigration department in this,” he had said at a dialogue session with residents and stakeholders organised by the Brickfields Rukun Tetangga in July.

Zainal had said the total enforcement plan was a directive directly from Najib, whom he said wanted Brickfields to be the Little India that it is known to be throughout the world.

- TMI