Angry traders at one of Kuala Lumpur's traditional shopping corridors, Masjid Jamek, are crying foul over the City Hall's latest move to relocate their stalls to a less lucrative location.

M Abdullah, one of the 143 stall owners affected by the move, said the hawkers want to "declare war" on Kuala Lumpur Mayor Mohmad Shaid Mohd Taufek (photo).

Abdullah said Mohmad "was not fit to be the mayor and that he should resign immediately" for failing to look into the plight of traders who could not afford to trade in shopping centres.

He added that those who continue to sell at the original location were often harassed by DBKL enforcement officers and told to keep off the streets where renovations are being carried out.

"Time and again we have tried to seek an audience with the mayor but he is said to be too busy to see us," Abdullah told malaysiakini.

"We have also written several letters informing him of our problems. What kind of a mayor is this? Poor hawkers like us cannot make a living anymore," he added, visibly upset with his predicament of having to move to Jalan Fatima, another street nearby.

Strategic location

The stalls, located near the famous Jamek mosque is situated at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers and on the site of the first Malay cemetery, one of the oldest places of Muslim worship in the city, which was constructed in 1909.

Items displayed for sale by the hawkers there include traditional medicine, household goods, books and magazines on issues which are critical of the government.

When contacted, an officer at the hawker management department said the City Hall is currently relocating road-side peddlers to a more "strategic location".

"This is not to prevent them from trading but is meant to restructure the hawker outlets in Kuala Lumpur," said the officer, who declined to be named.

Mohmad is not available for comment but in one of the speeches posted on the hall's website , he said that DBKL supported the hawkers, who are micro-enterprises of the poor.

He said the annual turnover of this informal sector is estimated to be about RM2 billion.

He added that traditional shopping places like Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Masjid India and Jalan Petaling will be improved with better facilities and special identity.

Pedestrian network in the city centre will be widened, improved, lighted and landscaped for shoppers to move conveniently and safely, he said.

Poor business

Meanwhile, chairperson of the Jalan Melayu and Jalan Masjid India hawkers action committee Syed Nor Azizul Syed Nor said the traders have suffered a 90 percent decline in their business as a result of regular harassment by City Hall enforcement officers.

He said these officers have intensified their activities recently to prevent the traders from opening their stalls at the original site.

"At times, there are up to four-truck load of men. Yesterday, they tried to confiscate our stuff and chase us out but we negotiated and they returned our goods," he said.

"We cannot continue like this and we are considering to hold a peaceful demonstration in front of City Hall soon," Syed Nor Azizul said.