KUALA LUMPUR: Putrajaya has been urged to make a decision on the fate of Ramadan bazaars in the country.
Kuala Lumpur Bumiputra Traders and Hawkers Association president Datuk Seri Rosli Sulaiman said many traders wanted to know the government’s decision on the matter and hoped that speculation on the fate of the annual Ramadan market would be put to rest.
He said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s statement yesterday that there would be no Ramadan bazaars if the Movement Control Order (MCO) was extended was confusing.
“They should not beat around the bush. Statements issued by ministers are complicating things. But we know that we can’t have such bazaars during the Covid-19 crisis, with or without the MCO.
“Most traders have accepted this for some weeks now and are willing to take a step back and seek out alternatives,” he told the New Straits Times yesterday.
He said the matter was communicated to Kuala Lumpur City Hall in a meeting on Thursday.
He said a consensus was reached between three main associations trading in Kuala Lumpur bazaars and the authorities as requirements in terms of social distancing were difficult to comply with on such short notice.
On Wednesday, Rosli, who is Malaysian Federation of Hawkers and Petty Traders president, told the NST that its 1.5 million traders nationwide were willing to stand by the government if it cancelled the bazaars.
He said the matter was apolitical and the ministry could proceed with banning the bazaars.
Earlier, Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said his statements on the matter been taken out of context and led to him being reported as saying that he had allowed Ramadan bazaars to proceed.
He had said any decision would be based on consultation with the Health Ministry and an announcement on the matter was expected to be made latest by April 10.
Rosli, however, urged City Hall to refund licensing and lot rental fees that had been paid by some 4,000 bazaar traders in the city.
He also appealed for traders to be given a compensation of at least RM500 each due to the disruption.
“We have appealed for City Hall to give us RM2 million.”
Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman (TAR) Traders and Hawkers Association chairman Azkhalim Suradi said there was no way bazaars could go on due to the outbreak.
He said even though Annuar had said an announcement would be made before April 10, it was clear that the bazaars would be cancelled.
“Even if we move to proceed with the bazaars, no one will come. None of us is eager to set up the bazaars as well.”
He said while seasoned traders had accepted the high possibility of a cancellation, the April 10-poser would mean that there were those holding out on hope to continue trading.
“Some would be stockpiling as many people are hoping that the MCO ends on April 14 and the outbreak dissipates. But in reality, cases are on the increase.”
He said traders were looking at sizeable losses of between RM30,000 and RM300,000 on average for the bazaars.
“Going online is not an option as our customer base is made up of locals and we have known each other for years. It is based on trust.”
He said going cashless was also not an option as some of the traders and customers were bankrupt.
Up to 7.15pm yesterday, 65,900 have people signed a petition on change.org for the Health Ministry to push for the cancellation of Ramadan bazaars.