PM: Ramadan licences which are transferred will be revoked

THOSE who transfer their Ramadan bazaar licences to others will have them revoked, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"Though the situation regarding licenses has gradually improved over the years, license holders must ensure they are genuinely working.

"This is about Ramadan, which, as we know, involves agents and large commissions every year.

"When licenses are sold, it means that the public officials involved are also fully aware of it," he said at the Prime Minister's Department's monthly assembly today.

He said this practice has been going on for years, not just in Kuala Lumpur but in almost every state.

“I want strict enforcement, as seen in Kuala Lumpur, to be applied elsewhere. If a licence holder transfers (sells) their licence, revoke it immediately.

Recently, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories), Dr Zaliha Mustafa said Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is actively refining the process of issuing licences for Ramadan bazaars in the federal capital this year.

She said DBKL was implementing measures to ensure eligible traders could secure licences to operate at the bazaars.

She said some traders had paid middlemen up to RM20,000 for a stall, only to end up without one.

Anwar, who is also the finance minister, reiterated his support for DBKL’s crackdown on illegal businesses run by foreign nationals, some of which he said had been operating for decades. – February 10, 2025