Eyeing a Pasar business? This is how you start

FOR as little as $360 year, a Bruneian can rent a stall at Pasar Malam, Gadong and start a small business. It could be a stall selling teh tarik and other drinks, nasi lemak, roti john or hamburgers.

Municipal Board Head of Licensing Unit, Hj Jamaluddin OKMD Hj Saman, said the Municipal Board welcomes applications from Bruneians and permanent residents who want to get a stall at the Pasar Malam. Approval, he said, will be given upon availability.

He said yearly fee per stall is only $360 plus the yearly licence fee of $10. "Using simple math, daily rental is only $1 per day."

Opening the Pasar Malam to Bruneians and permanent residents, he said, is among government's efforts to help Bruneians become entrepreneurs.

At present, he said, Pasar Malam (Night Market), Gadong houses 108 stalls for food vendors, 36 for clothes vendors and 36 for vegetable sellers.

He said Pasar Malam was established in 1998 to help small entrepreneurs.

Year by year, he said the government makes improvements at the Pasar Malam area, providing vendors with permanent tents, electricity supply, among others.

Hj Jamaluddin said His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam had visited the Pasar Malam and showed his concerns to the vendors.

He said on Fridays and Sundays from 6am until 2pm, Pasar Gadong is open for plantation vendors.

He said that the Municipal Board has been receiving applications for stalls at Pasar Malam.

He said applicants must be 18 years old and above.

The assistants who look after the vendors or helpers must also be Bruneians, he said.

He said applicants and their helpers must also pass body health exams.

Once applicants get the approval from the Municipal Board, he said they will be given time to get their stalls ready.

He said vendors must be active in selling at their stalls.

Yearly fees must be paid diligently, Hj Jamaluddin said.

Stall owners must meet all these regulations or the Municipal Board will take action against them.

He said application forms are available at the Municipal Board Building at Jalan Kumbang Pasang. The Brunei Times