Unwilling traders can still continue at old site, says mayor

PJ Mayor Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain (pictured) holds up the memorandum submitted with the signatures of 12 PKR councillors, which outlined 4 conditions to allow the traders unwilling to trade at the new council venue in Jalan SS9A/12, to continue at their old spot across the Seri Setia wet market building.

Deepavali bazaar traders who want to hawk at the old Jalan SS9A/13 site, across the Seri Setia wet market, will be allowed to do so.

Petaling Jaya mayor Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain announced yesterday that this allowance would be conducted on strict conditions, which include limits on tent sizes, hiring Rela personnel to help direct traffic, as well as limiting the traders to only one side of the road.

The traders can start trading today, he added, so long as they came to apply and settle the license fees, which amount to RM95, and also paid for the space rental, as it was on council-owned parking lots.

Aside from protecting the welfare of the traders, he said the decision was also based on a memorandum handed in by a majority of councillors, dated Oct 7 urging a speedy settlement to the issue.

It is understood that the memorandum, which was signed by eight out of 13 PKR councillors and three from PAS , listed out the conditions above to allow the unwilling traders to continue at the old site.

So far, he explained that 52 forms had been sold for the new Jalan SS9A/12 lots, although 12 permits had been issued.

“If they break any of the conditions listed, we won’t hesitate to cancel the permit and take enforcement action as stated in the permits,” said Azizi.

Previously, the council had moved during the March 2015 full council board meeting, to relocate the festive bazaar wholly to Jalan SS9A/12, parallel to the Sri Sakthi Easwari Temple.

“This issue, which was supposed to be just relocating the traders to a more suitable location, has gotten out of hand," he added.

The mayor was referring to previous incidents where angry traders had caused a scene in the council lobby, along with statements by both PJ Utara and Subang MPs weighing in on the issue.

MCA veteran and former assemblyman Datuk Dr. Wong Sai Hou said the council should have made a clear-cut decision from the beginning.

"It's just once a year when they hold this bazaar, same like the other festivals, why couldn't the council just let the traders be instead of disrupting them like this?" he asked.

Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lau Weng San said the manner in which the council had reversed its earlier decision was procedurally wrong as the earlier one was endorsed in a full council board meeting.

"He should have called for a special full board meeting if they wanted to reverse the decision," said Lau, adding that the reversal also gave the wrong impression to residents and businesses that council decisions could be reversed so easily.