IPOH: Local authorities in Perak will be monitoring closely to ensure that Ramadan bazaar licences issued to traders are not resold.
Perak local government committee chairman Sandrea Ng said members of the public or traders are welcome to forward information or complaints to the local authorities if they are aware of such incidents.
Ng said prior to getting their applications for the licence approved, traders have been informed of the condition to not sell or exchange these to another person.
"If there is a need for black and white, we will do so to ensure sales or exchanging of licences will not happen.
"As the instructions have been issued by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, we will keep a close eye on the matter this year," she said in a press conference at the Perak PKR headquarters here on Monday (Feb 10).
"In Perak, there were no such issues last year," she said, adding that some local authorities in the state had already started the bazaar licensing process.
Anwar had during a meeting with the Prime Minister's Department in Putrajaya earlier Monday warned that licences that have been resold would be revoked immediately.
Such occurrences, the Tambun MP added, had been conducted lately by certain parties for easy profits.
Ng said local authorities usually worked with relevant traders' associations when identifying the traders, thus minimising such incidents.
"We are stern on this matter and will not allow sales or exchanging of licences," she said.
"We will also blacklist the respective traders if necessary," she added.
To a question, Ng also said that they would also arrange for enforcement officers to patrol bazaars to keep a close check on unscrupulous people peddling loan shark activities or online gambling.
"We will have enforcement officers at the bazaars to ensure the operations are run smoothly while deterring such illegal activities," she said.
The police had in April last year arrested four people, including a married couple and two disabled persons, for distributing cards that promote online gambling and illegal loans at the Stadium Perak Ramadan Bazaar.
A video of a man distributing the cards and being confronted by traders also went viral.
Separately, state PKR chairman Mohamad Hairul Amir Sabri said the party's Chinese New Year open house will be held at the Kuan Im Temple in Chui Chak, Teluk Intan, on Feb 17 at 7pm.
He said party vice-president Chang Lih Kang will be the guest of honour, with other state party leaders also present.
