GEORGE TOWN: Tempers flared at the famous Penang Road here as a group of Ramadan bazaar traders faced off with state authorities who were trying to stop them from illegally setting up shop by the roadside.
In the ensuing heated exchange, a trader is said to have thrown a shoe which hit Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) councillor Lim Siew Khim.
She had gone there with Komtar assemblyman Ng Wei Aik and another councillor Harvindar Singh.
There were also 40 MPPP enforcement officers and 10 policemen present yesterday morning.
Roadside contention: The enforcement officers keeping a close watch on the traders at the Ramadan bazaar in Penang. The fiasco started when 30 unlicensed traders attempted to forcibly set up their stalls at about 10.30am.
An MPPP enforcement unit that reached the site at about 11am came face to face with traders holding placards and hurling insults at them.
The situation turned worse when Penang Malay Chamber of Commerce (PMCC) president Rizal Faris Mohideen Abdul Kader arrived at noon, and engaged in a shouting match with Ng, Harvindar and Lim.
After Lim was hit on the back with the shoe, he, Ng, Harvindar lodged police reports against Rizal, accusing him of public disorderliness.
Ng explained that Penang Road had become narrow after upgrading work last year and not suitable for trading.
“We gave them alternative sites at nearby Magazine Road and Penang Times Square,” he said.
MPPP officers and policemen left the scene at about 12.40pm with the situation unresolved.
Rizal said the traders were trading at the same site for the last 24 years without any hassle.
“We have received calls from (PKR adviser) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman giving us an assurance that a solution will be sought,” told a press conference later.
Mansor, who was at the press conference, said the state would look for a speedy solution.
In the meantime, the 30 traders would be allowed to set up their stalls.
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