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Unlicensed foreign traders: Don't take matters into own hands, Yeoh tells public
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh has advised the public not to take matters into their own hands against foreigners trading without licences in Kuala Lumpur, as it is against the law.
"Local authorities also cannot act on their own because their powers are limited to the Acts they administer.
"We must make sure...
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh has advised the public not to take matters into their own hands against foreigners trading without licences in Kuala Lumpur, as it is against the law.
"Local authorities also cannot act on their own because their powers are limited to the Acts they administer.
"We must make sure the right agencies carry out their responsibilities," she told reporters after attending a project to upgrade the special education multisensory room at Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Sri Sinar in Kuala Lumpur today.
Earlier, the DAP leader was asked to comment on the ongoing issue of unlicensed foreign traders, including the actions of some locals who have begun taking matters into their own hands.
According to Yeoh (above), operations concerning such traders must be carried out in an integrated manner - involving the Immigration Department, the Social Welfare Department and the police.
"Local authorities everywhere, not only in Kuala Lumpur... cannot act on their own," she said.
Stepping up licence inspections
Yeoh, who is also Segambut MP, said she has asked Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to step up licence inspections to ensure that licences issued are used by the rightful applicants.
"If we know that a Malaysian applicant obtained a licence but sublets it to a foreigner, the local authority will revoke that licence," she said.
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The minister said she has also asked for homeless operations to be stepped up, and has gone down to the ground with Federal Territories Department officers to assess the situation.
On the transparency of such operations, Yeoh stressed that DBKL regularly posts its enforcement activities on its official Facebook page.
She stated that body cameras for DBKL enforcement officers have been included in next year's budget to ensure transparency in operations.
Yeoh added that the existing usage of body cameras is limited.
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YB Hannah Yeoh, I agree with you on first principles: let enforcement do its job, not the public. But the public's patience has run out. Many of these unlicensed traders are not petty entrepreneurs. They are either victims of labour exploitation and trafficking syndicates, or frontliners for absentee proprietors who exploit unemployment to make quick money with zero overhead. This is not about being anti-poor. Licensed traders pay rent, assessment and DBKL licenses. Unlicensed roadside operations pay none, yet create verifiable public costs: litter and squalor, blocked walkways and road shoulders, and traffic bottlenecks that turn a two-lane road into one. If enforcement is not consistent and relentless, public confrontation becomes inevitable. Not because people want to be enforcers, but because they are forced to live with the nuisance.
Hannah Yeoh is absolutely right. The problem of unlicensed foreign traders is real and must be addressed firmly. Local traders have every reason to be unhappy when they pay for licences, rentals and comply with regulations, while others operate illegally. Worse still, some Malaysians allegedly rent out or surrender their trading licences to foreigners for a quick profit. These licence holders must also be held accountable. But two wrongs don't make a right. Frustration over weak enforcement does not give anyone the right to become a vigilante. We cannot allow people to take the law into their own hands, intimidate foreigners or create unnecessary racial tensions. What Hannah is calling for is coordinated enforcement by the proper authorities, not inaction. DBKL, Immigration and the police must work together to tackle the problem at its roots, including those who enable illegal trading. The answer is stronger enforcement, not mob justice. Protect the livelihoods of legitimate Malaysian traders, punish those who abuse the licensing system, and uphold the rule of law. That is what responsible governance should look like.
Frustration over unlicensed trading does not give anyone the right to threaten people or take enforcement into their own hands. Report wrongdoing and demand action from the authorities. Hannah also addressed something people conveniently overlook: Malaysians who obtain licences and rent them out to foreigners. They must face action too. We cannot demand that foreigners obey the rules while turning a blind eye to locals who enable the problem. More inspections, revoking misused licences and greater transparency deserve support. Firm enforcement must go hand in hand with accountability. If we want the law respected, we must respect it ourselves.
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