KUALA LUMPUR — Foreign traders continue to ply their wares illegally in the city because locals demand it, Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu told the Dewan Negara today.
While existing laws prevent local authorities from issuing business licenses to foreigners, the high number of foreigners conducting sales here remains a concerning issue due to several factors identified by the ministry.
A key factor is locals who turn a blind eye to such activities, she told senators.
“The most ironic factor is that there is a demand from locals (for services and products offered by foreign traders).
“For example, our people encourage the selling of food cooked by Thai nationals and welcome foreigners who will go around parks on their motorbikes.
“Because there is a demand (for such services), locals don’t lodge a report with us,” the deputy minister said, calling for the public to adhere to stipulated rules and to alert local authorities on foreigners trading without valid licenses.
Another factor, Aiman said, is when business licences owned by locals are sold or rented to foreigners, adding: “We will take stern action against these locals, who will not be given a chance to own a business licence again.”
Aiman said this in response to a supplementary question from Senator Hussin Ismail (Perikatan Nasional) on whether ongoing enforcement action against foreign traders, who appear to have monopolised businesses in certain places in the city centre here, are sufficient.
In an earlier supplementary question, Senator Datuk Salehuddin Saidin (appointed) asked whether the persistence presence offoreign traders could suggest bribery among the government’s enforcement officers.
Aiman, in her reply, did not specifically address the issue of potential bribery among enforcement officers, but stressed that efforts to combat the rise in foreign traders can only be successful with the collaboration of all relevant parties.
She said local authorities have established channels to allow members of the public to channel their complaints on illegal business activities.
She also said that local authorities might occasionally “overlook” the problem due to limitations in the number of enforcement officers and the wide scope of duties tasked to such officers.
She also said that between 2022 until now, local authorities have conducted 2,031 enforcement operations against business premises involving foreigners and cancelled 26,108 business licenses due to violations, including transferring such permits to foreigners. – November 2, 2024