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ISKANDAR PUTERI – Local authorities carrying out enforcement duties, especially enforcement officers, must be tolerant and responsible when handling petty traders, the Johor assembly was told.
Housing and Local Government executive councillor Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said he had received several reports about the way enforcement officers acted when taking action against petty traders, especially roadside hawkers.
Jafni said carrying out enforcement was not wrong but officers need to be tolerant and responsible in the course of their duties.
“I have been receiving complaints from roadside hawkers. For example, a ‘makcik’ had been carrying out her business for about 10 years without a permit, when suddenly one day the local authority’s enforcement officers came and seized everything from her stall.
“I feel the better option will be to advise them first before taking any drastic action,” he said when answering a question from Datuk Pandak Ahmad (Kota Iskandar-Umno) in the Johor assembly here today.
Pandak had wanted to know about actions taken by the government to overcome issues related to unlicensed petty traders, especially in Kota Iskandar.
Jafni (Bukit Permai-Umno) said the government is aware of such petty traders who choose to carry out their business at roadsides to seek additional income to support their families, especially because many have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. – Bernama, March 20, 2023