On Nov 20, the writer and several others visited the Jalan Papan village in Pandamaran, Port Klang, Selangor.

We met up with Ang Mah Chye, the chairperson of Jalan Papan Settler's Association, its committee members and some residents to listen to their problems.

The Jalan Papan village had evolved over a long period of time. Initially people came in search of employment in Port Klang. As time passed, many settled down and have resided there for more than 40 years. Some have been there before independence.

It was a swamp full of brushes. The swamp was filled-up, brushes were cleared and land was leveled for inhabitation and cultivation purposes. Over the years, the villagers toiled on the land and invested their hard-earned money to develop it into a village. As in 2003, there were about 1,300 families and 778 houses in the village. The Lu Shan Sheng Mu temple there was built more than 30 years ago.

Since 1969, some Jalan Papan residents had already obtained TOL (Temporary Occupation Licences). In 1993, the MCA state assemblyperson for the area Teh Chang Ying persuaded them to have their land surveyed. The survey conducted by the Klang District Land Office was completed on Aug 16,1994. And this raised hope that land titles would be given to them.

A total of 612 houses were involved in the survey. Each house was charged an amount of RM70. Hence, a total sum of RM42,840 was collected by the land office.

First promise

Before the 1995 general election, then Selangor menteri besar Muhammad Muhd Taib promised that TOL would be given to all residents in the Jalan Papan and Bukit Kerayong villages. Presumably, over 1,000 families would get their TOL after the Barisan Nasional (BN) won the elections. ( Star , April 25, 1995)

Teh won handsomely and the villagers began renovating their houses. However, the land office refused to collect quit rent from them the following year.

In other words, not only was the promise of giving all villagers TOL not delivered, but also those villagers with TOL had their licenses discontinued from1996 onwards.

TOL has to be renewed yearly. Under normal circumstances, after acquiring the temporary occupancy status, villagers are eligible to apply for and be granted land titles. On the other hand, without TOL, they are vulnerable to eviction.

TOL had been issued from 1969 till 1995. When it was stopped in 1996, it meant that something sinister was about to befall the villagers.

The Jalan Papan villagers had their suspicion confirmed. They learnt that the state government had given their land to TPPT (Tabung Projek Perumahan Terbengkalai) Sdn Bhd.

How could this happen without considering the occupants who developed the village with their sweat and blood?

Obviously the villagers were brushed aside in favour of the private developer. It is blatant abuse of power to deny the rightful occupants their land and offer it to a profit-making company.

In 2003, Teh told the Jalan Papan residents that they had to move out of their village and promised to help them get reasonable compensation. The settlers' committee then negotiated with the housing developer, TPPT.

Second promise

Before the 2004 general election, the Jalan Papan committee received a letter dated March 10, 2004 and signed by Abdul Aziz Bin Mohd Yusof, the secretary of the state government. Among others, the letter stated that the developer (i.e. TPPT) plans to build terrace houses costing less than RM100,000 each as requested by the residents.

On March 16, 2004, a press conference was called specifically for witnessing the handing over of the state government secretary's letter by Selangor exco Ch'ng Toh Eng to the chairpersons of the Jalan Papan and Bukit Kerayong committees respectively. Also present at the handing-over ceremony were the BN candidates for the Klang parliamentary and the Pandamaran state seats.

Three days later, the committees of both villages organised a joint press conference to show support for the BN candidates. On the same day, MCA President Ong Ka Ting was reported in the newspapers as having guaranteed the validity of the letter.

Once again, the dishonest and unscrupulous BN politicians made use of the villagers to win the elections but in return the villagers were given a raw deal.

Not only is the Selangor state secretary's letter not honoured, but also the newly elected Pandamaran assemblyman Teh Kim Poo is allegedly rude to them.

He was said to have scolded them, used vulgarities and threats. Subsequently, the Jalan Papan committee lodged a police report against him.

The villagers asked for 522 units of terrace houses to be built, but Kim Poo declares that the developer will only build 100 units. He said this was due to the high cost of construction. Instead, he tried to coerce them into accepting low-cost flats costing RM47,000 each in Bukit Tinggi, Klang. The villagers rejected his offer.

Eviction notices

In the meantime, the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) has tried to put pressure on them. From early this year, the MPK has begun to issue eviction notices to some residents. Following this, MPK has regularly sent eviction teams to the Jalan Papan village. As a result, some evacuated houses have been demolished. However, most residents are staying put.

The MPK action is meant to create fear and tension among the villagers and to make them worried about the imminence of their houses being demolished, if they do not follow the terms set by BN politicians.

In response to, the Jalan Papan villagers have resorted to publicly expose the broken promises and intimidation tactics.

This includes raising their grievances in parliament and handing over memorandums to the prime minister and the Sultan Selangor.

In addition to the demand stated in the state secretary's letter, they have also asked for RM7,000 to be paid as compensation for each house demolished and a subsidy of RM300 to each family as rental while waiting for their terrace houses to be completed. It is clear that they want to move back to their village.

We wonder what role TPPT, a subsidiary of Bank Negara, plays in the Jalan Papan case. TPPT is supposedly set up to help revive abandoned housing projects. The Jalan Papan village is not an abandoned housing project. What the villagers need are land titles but is not a housing project. So why is TPPT involved?

Who will benefit?

Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, the Bank Negara governor, should know what is going on since the villagers have also sent a memorandum to her. Zeti should act so as not to allow the good name of the central bank to be tarnished.

She should ensure that TPPT does not collude with unscrupulous politicians in deceiving and bullying the villagers. She should ensure that TPPT fulfils the promise of building terrace houses as agreed compensations.

Whose interests is TPPT representing? Who will benefit from the project and reap the profits? Zeti should make TPPT transparent and accountable to the public.

We were pleasantly surprised by the turnout at Ang Mah Chye's residence. The villagers are prepared to put up a fight if their demands are not met.

The writer is deputy secretary-general of Parti Keadilan Rakyat. This article is produced in conjunction with Pusat Khidmat Masyarakat Parlimen Kapar, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR's Kapar Community Service Centre). We can be contacted via pkrkapar@yahoo.com.