KUALA LUMPUR – Kg Sg Baru residents have urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to issue an official statement on the eviction notices recently served to homeowners whose homes are part of a contentious redevelopment project.
The Kg Sg Baru Terrace Homes and Flat Owners Action Committee said in a statement today that Anwar’s political secretary, Azman Abidin, confirmed in January that Anwar had ordered the project to be postponed pending negotiations with residents and stakeholders.
“We are disappointed by the eviction notices issued to us stating that we have to vacate our homes within a month.
“It feels as if our issues are being overlooked since the portfolio of the Federal Territories Ministry was placed under the purview of the Prime Minister’s Department, preventing residents from bringing their concerns to a specific minister.”
The group also asserted that since Anwar’s postponement of the project earlier this year, no government agencies have reached out to residents to conduct engagement sessions.
“The evacuation management process has been done haphazardly, including a lack of communication from relevant authorities to residents.
“Until today, no representative from the Lands and Mines Office nor the Kg Baru Development Corporation has shown up to ensure the welfare of residents who have been served eviction notices.”
The group also claimed that the Land Acquisition Act (LAA) 1960, which allowed the government to take formal possession of land in the historic Malay enclave in December last year, had been used to “persecute” residents.
On September 5, Scoop reported that Kg Sg Baru residents were shocked when they were served with eviction notices requiring them to vacate their homes by October 4.
The notice, issued by the Kuala Lumpur Land Administrator, said homeowners have been found to be staying on government land without the permission of state authorities, which is an offence under Section 425(1) of the National Land Code.
The law stipulates that those found occupying government or reserve land without legitimate permission, among others, can be fined a maximum amount of RM500,000 or imprisoned for up to five years.
“The residents were taken aback by this sudden action because it contradicted (Anwar’s) announcement in January through his political secretary (Azman),” committee lawyer Khairul Shahrizan Hamizi told Scoop.
“Previously, we were told that (Anwar), in principle, announced that the redevelopment of Kg Sg Baru and the land acquisition process shall be suspended, pending a decision and determination by the government on whether or not to proceed with the redevelopment.”
It was previously reported that Kg Sg Baru residents were dissatisfied with the 310% difference in compensation offered by the Lands and Mines Office as compared with private valuations.
In one case, a resident’s flat was valued at RM470 per sqft by the Finance Ministry’s Valuation and Property Management Department, while an independent assessor said that the flat should be worth RM1,480 per sqft.
Kg Sg Baru residents’ tribulations can be traced back to 2016, when private developer Ritzy Gloss Sdn Bhd sought to develop a colossal multi-billion ringgit mixed-development project in the area.
After close to half a decade of negotiations, during which Ritzy Gloss failed to convince more than 100 landowners, the company applied for the LAA.
Their bid was subsequently approved by then federal territories minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa. – September 13, 2023