It's 2026, but parking touts still rule the streets

 This is Kuala Lumpur in 2026. So why are parking touts still moving around like they own the place? Who gave them that right? Who told them they can stand at parking spots, ask for RM10, RM15, or even RM20, and talk to people as if they are the boss there? What kind of rubbish is this?

I went through it myself in Jalan Beremi, right in front of Shawarma Alqas Aliraqi Restaurant. The spot where I parked belongs to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and was supposed to be free at night.

Still, I was approached and told to pay RM20. RM20. For what? A few metres away, private parking was only RM15. But this fellow still had the nerve to ask for more on a spot that did not even belong to him.

When I challenged him, the excuse was the same old nonsense. They had been doing “business” there for a long time. Business? Since when did illegally collecting money on somebody else’s spot become a business?

After years of inaction, these people now do this openly because they know nobody is really serious about stopping them.

Call it as you wish. This is not “jaga parking” (parking attendant). This is harassment. This is bullying people for money. These people act like gangsters because they know most people do not want trouble.

People do not pay because they want to. They pay because they do not want to come back and see the vehicle scratched, the mirrors broken, or the tyres messed with. That is the whole game. Scare people. Pressure people. Take their money.

And this mess has gone on for years. Bukit Bintang. Kampung Baru. Ampang. Same problem. Same complaints. Same old excuses.

Not a new issue

So what exactly is DBKL doing? Do not say this is a new issue. It is not. Do not say DBKL is monitoring. People are tired of hearing that. Do not say patrols are being done. If patrols really worked, why are these parasites still standing there?

Why are they still so brave? That is the shame of it. Every time they demand money on a spot under DBKL, they are basically saying one thing: your rules mean nothing, and we can do what we like.

And honestly, when this filth goes on for years, do not blame people for smelling something rotten behind it.

Are they really acting alone? Why do they look so comfortable operating in the same places year after year? People ask because the whole thing stinks. Easy cash. Open intimidation. Same spots. Same game. Year after year.

When this kind of bullying continues in plain sight, people will inevitably start wondering who is allowing it to continue.

And tourists get hit, too. How many visitors have been cheated because they do not know the rules? How many leave Kuala Lumpur thinking this city is run by thugs standing beside parking spots demanding cash?

This cannot continue

Shameful. A capital city cannot keep allowing this kind of dirty racket in full view of everyone and then pretend the problem is under control.

Enough with statements. Enough with “we are aware”. Enough with “enforcement has been intensified”. Enough with all this rhetoric. Do something. Go to the hotspots. Clear them out. Go back again the next day. Then go again. Do it until they are gone.

If there is intimidation, act. If there is damage, charge them. If somebody bigger is protecting them, drag that out, too.

Otherwise, what is the message? That once evening comes, parking spots are up for grabs? That any thug can claim them? That DBKL is good at issuing statements but still cannot stop this mess?

With each passing day, DBKL looks weaker. So enough already. How much longer will DBKL keep talking instead of proving it can still enforce its own rules?

If this rot is allowed to drag on, DBKL cannot act offended when people begin asking whether the city is being run by the authorities, or by gangsters collecting cash as they please. - Mkini

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MAHATHIR MOHD RAIS is a former Federal Territories Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional secretary. He is now a PKR member.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.