COFFEESHOP owners will have their licences revoked if there are more than five stalls in their shops, under a new ruling by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ).

Eight shops have had their licences taken away since Sept 30, when the ruling came into effect.

The ruling also states that shops with tables and chairs outside their premises will suffer the same fate.

Several shop owners in Subang, Puchong and Seri Kembangan were forced to close their shops after a visit from MPSJ enforcement and licensing officers on Sept 30.

Restaurant owner Lee Thye Wooi, said the officers allowed him to continue his operations on the day of the raid but came back the next day to seal the premises.

“They also took away my licence to place tables and chairs outside.

“I added a few more tables than the approved number, but I did not expect this,” he said at a press conference in Puchong on Friday.

Lee has two corner lots in Seri Kembangan and some 20 stall operators.

The press conference was organised by Puchong Kinrara People’s Service Centre chairman Dr Kow Cheong Wei and Puchong Gerakan vice-chairman Lieng Hwa Ching. About 60 coffeeshop owners were present.

Another restaurant owner, Hew Kee Hung, from Puchong, said the ruling did not make sense since the unit size differed for each shoplot.

At present, the ruling only states that an intermediate unit can house five stalls while a corner lot can have six.

“If you have a larger shop lot, you can obviously take in more,” said Hew.

Dr Kow said the ruling was approved at the last fullboard meeting held on Sept 30.

He said the eight stall operators received the notice on the evening of the same day.

Dr Kow said no meeting, or discussion was held with the owners prior to enforcing the ruling.

“There is no reason for MPSJ to revoke the licence immediately without issuing a warning first,” Dr Kow said, adding that he would be meeting with MPSJ soon over the matter.

He added that the ruling affected stall operators who were mostly from the low- and middle-income groups.

He also said the council should have considered the eating culture among the Malaysians before coming to the decision.

Malaysians, he said, preferred a variety of dishes so the closure of several stalls would mean loss of customers for the coffeeshop owners.