THE fate of seven hawker traders who had been doing business on a government land in Little India, Brickfields, remains uncertain after they were forced to leave the place nearly two month ago by Kuala Lumpur City Hall for a proposed garden.

Yesterday, National Public Complaints and Welfare Service Centre chairman A. Chandrakumanan met all seven traders and Little India Petty Traders Association President G. Gunasegaran to collect a petition, which will be handed to Prime Minister Najib Razak by December 9.

Chandrakumunan said that, together with the petition, which has garnered around 900 signatures, he would be handing a letter and the blueprint of the Little India Project to the prime minister to indicate that the site was specifically built and designated for traders.

“This is government land. Most of the traders have been here for almost 40 to 50 years. Under the 2009 Little India project blueprint, this place was to be redeveloped and given back to the traders.

Now, they have been told to move to the Tun Sambanthan Complex, which is not a conducive place for business,” he said.

On September 17, KL City Hall conducted a pre-dawn raid, confiscating the stalls and items belonging to the seven traders.

Chandrakumunan questioned the local coucil’s decision to conduct the raid at such as odd hour and also cast doubt on the issuance of a letter said to have come from the Prime Minister’s Office.

“Why was the raid conducted at 3am? If KL City Hall claims they are acting on a letter from the PM’s Office, then prove it. Let us see the letter,” he said.

Gunasegaran, who is representing the seven traders, said they had submitted a memorandum about the issue to Lembah Pantai Umno chief Raja Nong Chik, who promised to hand it to the prime minister.

“Let’s just be practical. Which is more important? A garden or the livelihood of traders? The hawkers here are all elderly people looking to make ends meet. KL City Hall needs to consider all this before making such a decision,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Of the seven traders, V. Alagi, who sells vegetarian food, agreed to move her business to the Tun Sambanthan Complex so she could support her family. However, the move has not appeared to be fruitful for the single mother as she said she was making losses daily.

“I had to move the business as this is my only source of income but I’ve been making losses ever since. I informed most of my customers about my business being relocated but very few come to this place. So, I have to throw out the food daily,” she said.

Another trader, Lau Teng Wan, whose father started selling Hokkien mee nearly 50 years ago, said he was left stranded when he received news that his stall was being confiscated and that he had to relocate.

“I was shocked. I took over the business from my dad and have been doing this since I was young. I have two children and have to support my family, including my 90-year-old father.

“Who will give me a job now? I applied for a driver job and even that wasn’t successful. So, I found a stall at a nearby food court and currently operate my business there but at high rental costs. All I want is to move back to the place we belong,” he said.

A frequent customer to the food court, who only wanted to be known as Ashwin, said he was shocked to see the stalls removed from the area.

“I’ve been coming here for almost 15 years to buy burgers from probably the only Indian burger seller. My family and I really like the food here. Even the customers are affected because of this,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

A Facebook petition “Please Save Us: A desperate plea from 7 Little India Traders” has also been initiated to gather public support, which has acquired 295 signatures since it was posted on November 2. – November 27, 2017.