Kg Sg Baru residents' leader says not to politicise issue

Summary

• Kampung Sungai Baru Property Owners Welfare chairperson Sanita Yunus urges against politicising the settlement’s eviction and redevelopment.

• She says outsiders have twisted perceptions of the issue due to narratives on social media.

• She also claims that outsiders caused a ruckus during the evacuation operation earlier today.

A Kampung Sungai Baru resident association leader stepped forward to urge against politicising the eviction and redevelopment in the Kuala Lumpur settlement.

The issue was neither political nor racial, Kampung Sungai Baru Property Owners Welfare chairperson Sanita Yunus asserted.

"Come to the association office, ask us directly or talk to the developer. Don’t be easily fooled by half-truths. This project is the residents’ own effort for the future of our children and grandchildren.

“Pray for this project to go smoothly. We want to return to our new home after eight years of waiting," she told Malaysia Gazette today.

Earlier today, court bailiffs and several related agencies carried out an eviction at Kampung Sungai Baru in Kuala Lumpur through a court order meant to facilitate KL City Gateway Sdn Bhd’s redevelopment of the area.

Residents who refused to vacate their homes for the project said they were dissatisfied with the compensation offered.

Perikatan Nasional has championed the issue, with Bersatu vice-president Hamzah Zainudin saying chaos during the eviction could have been avoided with negotiations and PAS calling the operation "utterly inhumane" as it took place while residents’ appeals were scheduled to be heard at the Court of Appeal next month.

Twisted narratives

Commenting further, Sanita expressed her worries over those not from the community whose perceptions have been twisted by narratives on social media.

"Most of those who came to cause a ruckus during the eviction operation were not residents. We in this village all know each other.

"So clearly, outsiders who have nothing to do with it are trying to take advantage,” she claimed.

Sanita went on to reveal that the compensation given to residents by the developers was very high, with some receiving up to RM1 million to RM3.8 million for a terrace house unit, depending on the area.

High compensation

Terrace house owners received an additional monthly rental payment of RM2,500 for eight years, on top of the compensation, she added.

She said the developers had provided twice the money that the government's assessment valued their properties at.

The government said the original value was around RM400 per square foot, but the developer agreed to compensate property owners with RM850 per square foot.

“So it’s actually a very good offer and rare in redevelopment projects,” she said.

She added that the majority of residents received the compensation, including those who moved to temporary accommodations.

“Residents who were moved to transit flats also did not have to pay rent except for basic utility costs. The developer covered everything.

"So what else was their mistake? Their (residents') welfare was still taken care of while waiting for the project to be completed,” she said.

The developer has paid all major compensations since 2023, she added.

In December, former federal territories minister Khalid Abdul Samad told The Vibes that the developer had offered compensation of between RM1,500 and RM1,800 per square foot to those who agreed to its terms.

Those who disagreed were offered RM450 to RM600 per square foot.

Residents’ initiative

Sanita said that the redevelopment project there came from the initiative of residents.

She said contrary to claims on social media, there was no coercion from outsiders.

"Our association was established in 2016 by the previous generation who saw the condition of their houses getting worse while land leases were getting shorter.

"The majority of the residents at that time realised they could not afford to repair their own houses, so the decision was to look for a developer to redevelop this village.

"So don't get me wrong, it was not the developers who came looking for us but us who went out looking for developers," she said.

Only a small number oppose

Commenting on the opposition to the project, Sanita said it involved only a small number of residents.

She believed that they are mainly made up of flat unit owners, theorising that their dissatisfaction stems from faraid (Islamic inheritance law) distribution.

“When the property was divided among many siblings, of course, the portion received was smaller. Maybe that was why there was dissatisfaction.

“But don’t twist this matter as if this entire project is oppressing other residents who really want this development,” she said.

She said more than 220 families have signed agreements with the developer and will return to live in Kampung Sungai Baru after the project is completed.

“This has been our wish for a long time. We want to see the bumiputera economy in the city develop and the Malay community in Kuala Lumpur enjoy more modern, more comfortable homes, but still on the land of our blood," she said.

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