The traders pick the spot, but someone else decides which spots exist.

Last time: a row of stalls selling the same thing can bring in more customers than the same stalls spread apart, until there are too many of them. But the traders did not choose where that row stands. A trader picks the best spot on offer. Councils and ministries decide what is on offer.

At Bazaria Wangsa Maju in Kuala Lumpur, the city hall (DBKL) tore down unlicensed stalls in May 2024. The Star reported that the operation targeted about 165 traders who had not left after an order to vacate. DBKL said they had taken parking bays and were using water and electricity without permission. A member of a traders' association said he and other unlicensed traders had been there for three years and had applied for licences again and again without approval. The same day, the federal territories minister told DBKL to consider licensing them. Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported in October 2024 that the 165 were licensed and moved to a hawker centre run by DBKL. So officials decided where these 165 traders could trade.

MyKiosk, the government's roadside kiosk programme, is another case of officials deciding where a trader may stand. Ampang Jaya's council said it identifies the sites and places the kiosks, looking at how densely populated the area is, how much traffic passes and how easy the place is to reach. FMT found 12 kiosks empty in one area, without naming the council. Local traders said they had stood unused for nearly two years, and asked to be consulted on where kiosks go.

Ramadan bazaars in Kuala Lumpur are a third case: DBKL decides which lots are on offer. DBKL has taken over the organisation of 40 Ramadan bazaar sites and offers the lots itself, online. For 2025 it offered more than 3,000 lots for the Ramadan and Aidilfitri bazaars. By 4 March 2025 it had filed a police report over manipulated bazaar licences, and the federal territories minister said attempts to sell lots over WhatsApp were still being found.