SAFE BAZAAR?
BRICK-AND-MORTAR retailers say the reopening of an iconic Ramadan bazaar in KL, which drew huge crowds daily in pre-pandemic years, is a recipe for disaster. Their arguments may just have convinced City Hall.
THE hugely popular Ramadan bazaar in Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman in the city, suspended in 2020 because of the pandemic, is set to make a comeback this year.
But protests by businesses and a sudden U-turn by Kuala Lumpur City Hall may yet change things.
While some are of the opinion that the bazaar is a surefire way to develop a Covid-19 cluster, others have taken a more optimistic view, believing that if standard operating procedures (SOP) are in place and obeyed by all, the safety of traders and the public will be assured.
The Masjid India Business Association (MIBA), which represents a sizeable number of brickand-mortar establishments in the area, strongly believes that allowing Ramadan bazaars and pasar malam (night markets) to operate in the densely populated business district is a recipe for disaster.
MIBA president Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin said the combination of bazaars and pasar malam would be a Covid-19 cluster in the making.
“We have yet to recover from the pandemic’s devastating impact and cannot afford to undergo another shutdown like last year’s Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) that lasted three weeks. Even when the order was lifted, visitors by and large kept away for months.”
Ameer said while the bazaar’s plan looked good on paper, the reality on the ground remains to be seen. He said a bazaar would entail closures and barricades, which established businesses could ill-afford now.
This, he added, could also pose a fire hazard.
“The authorities must carefully weigh their decision as businesses in the area, though established, cannot afford another lockdown.
“Thousands of workers depend of the survival of these establishments, which have seen an 80 per cent dip in business from preCovid-19 times,” he said.
Earlier this month, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that Ramadan and Hari Raya bazaars would be allowed nationwide after the National Security Council (NSC) Technical Committee gave its nod.
Bazaar organisers, however, were required to adhere to SOP, such as ensuring that the bazaars were organised in open areas with designated entry and exit points, providing the MySejahtera app check-in at entrances and limiting the number of visitors at any one time.
Public health specialist Dr Malina Osman said while reopening Ramadan bazaars on a small scale was acceptable, organising mega bazaars such as those during pre-Covid-19 period would be potentially dangerous.
“In this current scenario, we have to avoid potential situations that may initiate new clusters.”
Dr Malina, of Universiti Putra Malaysia, also said with the reduced number of lots to ensure physical distancing, some traders could open their stalls illegally.
She cautioned that if multiple violations occurred, the potential for new infections and clusters could increase.
“It all boils down to enforce
ment and the level of public compliance,” she said.
She urged the elderly and vulnerable groups to not visit the bazaars.
“I would advise the elderly or those with vulnerable persons under their care to prepare food at home or have someone deliver the food,” she said.
Even as approval had been given for Ramadan bazaars to operate in the city, drama continues to unfold in one bazaar over its supposed location.
Two years ago, Kuala Lumpur City Hall had shifted the wellknown Lorong TAR bazaar to Jalan Raja — a move which angered stall operators who felt that it deprived them of visibility and more customers.
Sources told the New Straits Times that City Hall had reinstated the bazaar’s location to Lorong TAR, only for the decision to be changed yesterday after objections were lodged by Miba and the Batu Road Retailers Association (Barra).
Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman Hawkers and Traders Association president Azkhalim Suradi, who attended two meetings beforehand to discuss SOP implementation of the bazaar, said he was shocked by the about-turn.
“We were given the impression that it was a done deal as we had two meetings with City Hall’s Licensing and Business Development Department.
“They told us we could start operating on April 17, four days
after Ramadan as the National Security Council had endorsed the Federal Territories Ministry’s application for the relocation.
“But then they made a U-turn. We are now awaiting the official word from the higher ups.”
He said the bazaar had been whittled down from 450 stalls to 208. The Saturday pasar malam in the area, he said, was also expected to be scaled down to fewer than 150 stalls and placed in Jalan TAR, where a stretch of the road is expected to be closed on the day.
“This is such a letdown based on everything that has happened so far. We were 99 per cent sure today before these millionaires butted in. Now the officers are saying that there is a possibility we’ll be returning to Jalan Raja.
“We’ve suffered enough to be made to go on runarounds like this,” said the clothes trader, adding that he experienced a 70 per cent dip in business in 2019 when the bazaar was relocated.
Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa had earlier said City Hall would assess whether the bazaar could be reinstated to Lorong TAR.
The exercise, he said, was undertaken following appeals by traders, who protested that business in Jalan Raja was underwhelming.
Page 1 caption: City folk thronging the Ramadan bazaar and night market at Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Masjid India in 2017.