YOURSAY 'It is deliberately designed this way - some ministry says no, you make an appeal to the PM, and the PM says yes.'

Traders rally at PM's door as gloomy Deepavali looms

Aries46: Kuala Lumpur City Hall had to change the venue for the Deepavali bazaar mainly because of complaints from the legitimate shopkeepers along Jalan Tun Sambanthan and the blind residents there whose safety is put at risk.

Today I drove to Brickfields for lunch and it was so pleasant to do some shopping along Jalan Tun Sambanthan without the usual hassle and traffic congestion that used to be caused by the Deepavali bazaar stalls haphazardly occupying the entire walkway of Jalan Tun Sambanthan.

City Hall must be complimented for standing by its decision despite the protests and threats by this group, which appears rather selfish and unreasonable.

LittleGiant: I find it difficult to support any party in this issue. I must say that in the last few years Brickfields, especially Jalan Tun Sambanthan, has become an extremely congested and a very difficult place to reach in Kuala Lumpur.

I believe that Indian shoppers are already avoiding Brickfields, which has gained 'notoriety' for its bad traffic management and severe lack of parking space.

I have noticed that come festival seasons, most shopowners and temporary traders along Jalan Tun Sambanthan 'expand' their shops and businesses in such a haphazard manner that they do not seem to care for public safety and traffic flow in the area.

These people, combined with shoppers who park their vehicles with absolute disregard to traffic laws, have made Brickfields a chaotic place to be in.

If this continues, Indian shoppers, especially from Klang Valley, will shun Brickfields and the area could soon lose its 'Little India' status.

Absalom: It seems to be an acceptable practice that during festive seasons, whether Deepavali, or Ramadan or Chinese New Year, businesses are allowed to extend their shops onto the roads or set up shop on the sidewalks.

So now when the council decides to do the right thing and disallow such trends, some people cannot accept it. The permanent shops need to do business as well. Also the sidewalks are just that, for people to walk on. So those who want to do short-term festive business should do so in the allocated place.

And to be fair, this decision should also extent to other festivals as we have seen business people blatantly taking over parking lots and roads to put their makeshift shops and the authorities must put a stop to it.

Bumiasli: This is a typical case of lack of people management by BN. All changes should have been discussed thoroughly, negotiated and if there is a genuine problem, it must be explained to the traders.

Isn't this what we appoint MPs and deputy ministers for? Instead of going down to the grassroots, these politicians sit back and point fingers at one another. Why do we need to vote for such people?

Doc: So much for the ‘makkal' PM of the Indians. As for Federal Territories Minister Raja Nong Chik, he is least bothered with Lembah Pantai residents' woes after the about 10,000 new voters who have been mysteriously added to Lembah Pantai's voter list of late.

Which we can safely say are phantom voters who will vote for him in the coming GE ensuring him a parliamentary and ministerial seat. And MIC, nothing new here - they are the Missing Indian Congress.

Dont Just Talk: Some of the traders had applied for the RM50 million allocations for Indian entrepreneurs under Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga (Tekun), but were asked to go through MIC.

Why is there a need for MIC to be involved? Simple, you help me, I help you, wink, wink.

P Dev Anand Pillai: The problem with the Indians is despite being treated as pariahs by the supreme race, they would still vote for the Umnoputras. Hopefully these past four to five years have opened the minds of the lower strata of the Indian community.

Even in politics, the three main parties in the BN continue to practice the middleman system where taxpayers' money is channelled through political parties who will then make the people beg them for money, which is really the people's money at the end of the day.

Kee Thuan Chye: Don't worry, traders, Najib will come to your rescue. This is the modus operandi nowadays.

It is deliberately designed this way - some ministry says no, you make an appeal to the PM, and the PM says yes. It's also known as the bad cop-good cop routine.

It's also called branding. It's designed to build up Najib, the brand.

Fair Play: No doubt the powers-that-be, after due consideration and with the best interests of the Indian community in their mind, will publicly announce that they would accede to their request. After all, GE13 is around the corner.

Taikohtai: BN is inimical to the well being of Malaysians. Petty traders, taxi operators and small outfits protesting ad hoc are misguided and not looking at the big picture and not acting with foresight.

BN can just as easily offer them a carrot now and then after, wield a bigger stick and then bleed them dry one by one. Time to team up, wise up and go ABU (Anything But Umno) and stop being petty.

Timothy: The majority of the Indians here are Tamil. They are one of the very neglected ethnic groups. Only a few Tamilians and some Indians got 'kenyang muntah' through MIC.

What they are today economically, socially, emotionally, are all due the unfair and suppressive policies of Umno-BN. The rich Indians are not helping them much either.

The Tamilians had contributed immensely to the initial setting up of our road and railway infrastructures, the rubber industries, etc, and some of the jobs that none was willing to take up, especially during the earlier days.

We are all enjoying the fruits of their hard labour. So, please don't be too hard on them, they need help and deserve fair government policies.

Changeagent: To the Indian traders, please do not treat yourselves as second-class citizens.

'Kami memohon campurtangan YAB Perdana Menteri yang disayangi dan dihormati.. ' sounds like you are begging, rather than demanding the self-declared 'people-first' PM to intervene on your behalf.

Be upfront with Najib. Approach him like an equal and ask him to intervene if he wants you to support him in the coming elections.

Whatever you do, do not feel that you are inferior to the government. They are mere representatives elected by you to look after your interests and well-being.

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