Khalid: Harapan's RM1k-psf Kg Baru offer remains if it wins polls

Pakatan Harapan will stick to its offer of RM1,000 psf to acquire 230 acres of land in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur if the opposition coalition wins in the 15th general election (GE15).

Harapan’s Titiwangsa candidate Khalid Abdul Samad said this during a press conference today, repeating the same offer to the Kampung Baru Malay Settlement three years ago when he was the federal territories minister.

“If Harapan returns to power, the Kampung Baru redevelopment plan, namely the RM1,000 psf offer will continue to be relevant and will be applied,” he said.

He rebutted his BN opponent Johari Abdul Ghani, who questioned the compensation offer made to the landowners.

“Some questioned if the offer had been approved by the cabinet. The matter was not done quietly. In fact, it was brought to the attention of the prime minister and it was brought to the cabinet for an explanation.

“The decision was that when we get agreement from all parties, then we will implement it. Just wait for approval from the landowners,” Khalid said.

Johari, who was the finance minister II between 2016 and 2018, asked if the offer was approved by Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s cabinet during the Harapan federal administration.

“If it was an offer by the government, did it have the authority of the cabinet? If it was a private endeavour, then what is the name of the company which made the offer?” Johari was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today.

“If indeed such an offer was made, the quantum involved would have exceeded RM10 billion. I would like to know the identity of the party which promised such a staggering sum.

“If the Kampung Baru land is to be developed, such development must be done in phases and may in all likelihood take more than 30 years. This is because the land in question exceeds 230 acres, is situated in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, and involves a large number of owners and beneficiaries.

“It is quite similar to the KLCC twin towers and its surrounding land, which took the BN government 30 years to develop,” said Johari.

Developing Kg Baru

Earlier efforts to redevelop one of the oldest Malay settlements in the heart of the capital city hit a snag when the government first mooted it in 1984.

A series of discussions on the matter led to the establishment of the Kampong Bharu Development Corporation (PKB) in 2012.

Subsequently, the government came up with the Kampong Bharu Development Masterplan 2040 (PIPKB 2040) last year, which constitutes a new framework that will drive the overall direction for the development of Kampung Baru over the next 20 years.

Under the new master plan, the development will be implemented in phases, based on the 44 development blocks that have been identified under the master plan, to help create a better quality of life for the people there.

In GE15, Khalid, who was a three-term Shah Alam MP is contesting Titiwangsa.

The seat was won by Bersatu’s Rina Harun in GE14, who contested under the Harapan banner, as she obtained 23,840 votes in a three-way fight with Johari (19,701) and PAS’ Mohamad Noor Mohamad (6,845).

Johari, a corporate figure and Kuala Lumpur native, won the Titiwangsa seat in 2013 and continued serving the constituency through his service centre there, despite his defeat in 2018.

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