JUDGMENT

Wan Yahya Pawan Teh FCJ:

[1] In an article appearing in The Malay Mail dated 4 July captioned: Illegal Traders To Move - Hawkers' Filth is Unbearable - a Majlis Perbandaran Petaling Jaya (MPPJ) Councillor, while commenting on the state of affairs created by illegal traders, along Jalan SS21/39 Damansara Utama and the relocation of their activities to Jalan SS21/60 was reported to have said that, "The condition here is unbearable, some of them were put in squatter houses amongst the stalls.... There is no compromise on hygiene, the public health is at stake."

[2] As a matter of fact the Councillor was merely announcing a matter which had been discussed and decided at a meeting of the Health Committee of the MPPJ held on 26 May 1989.

[3] The minutes of the meeting as reproduced by the learned trial Judge indicated the MPPJ would provide specific lots to hawkers in Jalan SS8/3 and SS21/60; that the use of push carts as approved by the MPPJ be suggested for use by the hawkers in place of the fixed stalls; and that business be carried out on one half of the road at night (between 5pm & 7am). There were also several conditions imposed on the would be licensed hawkers.

[4] The real reason behind the MPPJ's drastic action is contained in a preceding paragraph of the minutes which was not cited by the learned High Court Judge but which was made available to us during the appeal in its original form, the text of which reads:

3.2.1 Mesyuarat telah diberitahu bahawa banyak aduan diterima berikutan adanya peniaga-peniaga tanpa lesen di kawasan itu. Peniaga-peniaga tersebut menimbulkan masalah kekotoran, menghalang lalulintas dan menghalang untuk meletak kereta. Keadaan kebersihan di situ juga tidak dapat dikawal. Encik Ho Sai Kong mahukan langkah yang wajar diambil memandangkan peniaga-peniaga telah berniaga di situ sekian lama. Encik Ho Sai Kong juga berharap masalah ini dapat diselesaikan supaya aduan sedemikian tidak akan berulang lagi.

3.2.2. Setelah mengkaji dengan teliti, mesyuarat telah bersetuju bahawa pihak Majlis dikehendaki melaksanakan perkara-perkara berikut:

(1) Satu kawasan untuk ruang petak disediakan bagi semua penjaja di Jalan SS21/60 dan SS21/39, Petaling Jaya di kawasan berhampiran.

(2) Mencadangkan supaya kereta tolak bergerak digunakan untuk menggantikan gerai tetap yang ada sekarang. Dengan itu, kawalan kebersihan seperti pembersihan longkang dan sebagainya lebih mudah dilakukan. Rekabentuk kereta tolak hendaklah diluluskan oleh MPPJ.

(3) Penjaja-penjaja hanya dibenarkan berniaga pada waktu malam dan setelah selesai berniaga, kawasan tersebut hendaklah dikosongkan. Dengan ini, jalan tersebut tidak lagi dihalang.

(4) Perniagaan hendaklah dijalankan di sebelah jalan sahaja.

(5) Sekiranya Syarikat Pembinaan See Hoy Chan mempunyai cadangan untuk membina bangunan perniagaan di kawasan tersebut, komplek penjaja hendaklah dibina di situ untuk menampung bilangan penjaja yang ada di kawasan tersebut.

3.2.3 Pengerusi jawatankuasa kecil bersetuju berjumpa dengan pemaju untuk mendapatkan kawasan bagi menampung penjaja-penjaja di situ.

[5] It could be seen from the above minutes that the MPPJ was forced into an uncompromising situation by the hawkers' own misconduct and extremely unhealthy habits. According to the minutes, these hawkers not only created health problems by their unhygienic habits but they also obstructed traffic and prevented motorists from parking vehicles. Thus it was decided to relocate them to the nearby Jalan SS21/60.

[6] Old habits die hard, and so as disclosed in the affidavit and seen in the photographs exhibited in the application for certiorari that despite the conditions imposed by the MPPJ the relocated hawkers persisted with their filthy or obstructive habits and it would appear that the MPPJ had only succeeded in moving their problems in Jalan SS21/39 onto the doorsteps of the tenants and occupiers of the premises on Jalan SS21/60.

[7] Anyway, the tenants/occupiers of the relocated site of Jalan SS21/60 and