Several Kg Sg Baru residents stand their ground amid land takeover

Summary

• A group of Kampung Sungai Baru residents in Kuala Lumpur vow to stay put on their land despite developers already starting work there.

• Resident leader says the group would not hesitate to “confront” the developer if the latter tries to evict them.

A group of Kampung Sungai Baru residents in Kuala Lumpur stressed they would stay put on their land despite developers already starting work there.

In addition, the group said they would not hesitate to “confront” the developer if the latter attempts to evict them forcefully.

“We will not leave, come what may. We are protesting against this.

“Forcefully acquiring our land is a form of injustice against the people, and we demand that it be stopped.

“We want the government to intervene to protect Malay privileges… this is a Malay village,” Kampung Sungai Baru Residents’ Rights Committee chairperson Zainab Alias said at a press conference today.

Earlier, the group gathered peacefully by holding placards to protest against the developer who had entered the village to start their work.

Based on Malaysiakini’s observation, the developer is already tearing down the flats located in the area.

In May, lawyer N Surendran, who advises the committee, urged the Federal Territories Lands and Mines Office to check the status of their land.

This comes after several official documents and maps allegedly show Kampung Sungai Baru as a Malay Agricultural Settlement.

“We are here to submit an application so the office can launch an investigation into the land status of Kampung Sungai Baru. The applicants claim that their land area is not under a 99-year lease but instead is Malay reserve land.

“Because these facts were not stated on their land titles, we want the agency to investigate the matter under Chapter 4 of the National Land Code to determine whether it’s Malay Agricultural Settlement land,” the lawyer added.

Matter in dispute

Upset over the matter, Zainab said the developer has no right to enter the land as the matter was still in dispute.

She also called upon the government to repeal Section 3(1)(c) of the Land Acquisition Act 1960, claiming it gives the authority powers to acquire land without the consent of landowners.

“Apart from stopping this forced eviction immediately, the government should also abolish this disgusting section,” said Zainab, adding that the proposed Urban Renewal Bill should also be reviewed to ensure any future development projects take into consideration the people’s views.

In December last year, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa told Parliament that the joint venture between landowners and the developer in Kampung Sungai Baru was based on mutually agreed negotiations, without any pressure.

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