KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun wrote to support an application for a Ramadan bazaar here because he wanted to help underprivileged traders, said his special assistant Sally Sian who alleged that this was abused.

Speaking for Fong who is abroad, Sian said the DAP lawmaker was aghast to learn that inflated payments were demanded for the lots his letter helped secure from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

“YB Fong strongly denies he forced DBKL into approving the application or that he received any payments in the process,” she said during a press conference. 

Sian said that PPBM’s Mohd Norhisyam Abd Karim approached Fong’s office on May 31, claiming he represented some 80 hawkers.

“He told us they were poor and needed help to set up their Ramadan bazaar stalls from June 5 until June 14,” she said.

As a result Fong’s office wrote on the same day to the mayor and DBKL asking him to consider the application for the traders to set up stalls along Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Masjid India.

On June 5, DBKL responded to say two options were available after studying the bazaar proposal.

“The first is for the lots to be offered or filled only if there are any empty ones available due to revocation of licences and vacancy of lots through a balloting process among the 80 hawkers,

“The second is for DBKL to consider organising the bazaar starting from Wakaf Buta up until Jalan Masjid India/Bazar Melayu, subject to numerous conditions,” Sian said.

As DBKL required Fong to provide written endorsement to confirm the location and proposed applicants, his office issued another letter on the same day in support of the first option.

“To any of the hawkers affected by this, please come to YB Fong’s office so that we can assist you. So far we have limited information as no one has yet stepped forward,” she said.

However, Sian stressed that they were not looking to lay blame as the matter was yet to be investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

“We cannot say we were misled or anything of the sort, as most of what we know also came from news sources. Let MACC do their job first, just as YB Fong will file a report with them once he is back,” she said.

Yesterday DBKL’s Licensing and Petty Traders Development Department director Anwar Mohd Zain was reported to have said he reversed an earlier decision and approved the application for 80 additional bazaar lots from a PPBM Youth member after receiving Fong’s letter of support.

Traders alleged they were forced to pay up to RM5,000 per lot to avoid these from being withdrawn.