KUALA LUMPUR – With the looming threat of eviction hovering over landowners in Kg Sg Baru as part of a contentious private redevelopment project, residents here have urged Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa to promptly solve their problem.
Speaking to Scoop, Johari Zakaria – a resident of Kg Sg Baru who welcomed the minister’s appointment – said he believed positive changes could be brought to his village under her leadership.
Citing the recent issue faced by Kg Setia Jaya and how Dr Zaliha handled it, he said it was an encouragement that similar actions could be taken for the people residing in Kg Sg Baru.
Recently, Dr Zaliha held an engagement session with TARC Education Foundation representatives, Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s political secretary, Datuk Azman Abidin, on the Kg Setia Jaya land issue in an effort to resolve the relocation problem faced by the people affected by eviction.
“The appointment of a federal territories minister is a boon for Kg Sg Baru residents. Dr Zaliha was quick to address the Kg Setia Jaya issue, so I’m sure that she can do the same for Kg Sg Baru,” said Johari, 57.
“We want to know what’s the status of the memorandum that the Kg Sg Baru Terrace Homes and Flat Owners’ Action Committee previously sent to the prime minister. What’s the next step? Is the minister aware of the issues in Kg Sg Baru?
“She can’t avoid dealing with our issues since Kg Sg Baru is an area under her purview as federal territories minister. If she lets Titiwangsa MP (Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani) handle residents’ problems, the matter will never be resolved.”
Scoop has reached out to Dr Zaliha and Azman for comments on the matter at press time.
Located just a stone’s throw away from the Saloma Link Bridge and the Kg Baru LRT station, Kg Sg Baru consists of 98 leasehold terrace houses and 264 flat units in eight blocks.
Out of the total properties on the land, 27 terrace houses and 192 flat units willingly accepted an offer from the private property developer, Ritzy Gloss Sdn Bhd.
Meanwhile, following the Perikatan Nasional administration’s approval of Ritzy Gloss’ application for the government to take formal possession of land in the area under the Land Acquisition Act (LAA) 1960, 37 terrace houses and 72 flat units were compelled to undergo compulsory acquisition in 2021.
Landed property owners argue that, as the acreage ratio of their lands is higher, their votes in the matter should take precedence over those of flat owners in strata housing.
Johari expressed concern over the lack of clarity regarding the timeline for residents to vacate their homes in preparation for the redevelopment project led by Ritzy Gloss.
“The main issue at Kg Sg Baru is similar to the protests by Kg Setia Jaya residents over inadequate compensation. Additionally, the land acquisition process in Kg Sg Baru was not carried out according to proper standard operating procedures,” he said.
“Dr Zaliha must know why Kg Sg Baru residents are reluctant to leave their homes; it’s not about us being stubborn, but we weren’t offered fair compensation,” he added.
Johari also expressed his hopes that Dr Zaliha would be open to hearing from all sides prior to making any decisions.
On November 2, Scoop reported that Johari Ghani had urged the government to immediately commence the stalled redevelopment project, reiterating claims that a majority of residents in the area had agreed to its continuation.
A few days later, he said he was informed by the Prime Minister’s Office in October that the project, which was initiated in 2016, would not be delayed again.
After becoming prime minister, Anwar postponed the project’s continuation in January, pending negotiations with residents and stakeholders.
On October 29, action committee chairman Lele Suzana revealed that a developer keen to take over the project in Kg Sg Baru had agreed to provide compensation of RM950 per square foot to terrace house and flat owners, a much higher figure than the RM450 per square foot valuation set by the Valuation and Property Management Department.
The compensation will extend to landowners whose homes were gazetted under the LAA, those whose residences were not gazetted and residents who have already accepted Ritzy Gloss’ initial offer.
In a press conference on November 8, Lele said that she, along with former federal territories minister Khalid Samad, had met with Anwar the previous day to seek his help to ensure negotiations between Ritzy Gloss and the interested developer arrived at a conclusion that benefitted all residents.
Noting that Anwar appeared to be receptive to hearing out residents’ issues during the meeting, Lele urged the prime minister to make a prompt decision to prevent further challenges faced by the people of Kg Sg Baru.
Previously, local government expert Derek Fernandez told Scoop that Section 3(1)(c) of the LAA, which was used by the government to take over Kg Sg Baru land, must be read with other sections of the legislation for eviction orders to be legally viable.
Failure to do so, he said, would raise doubts over whether residents were compelled to adhere to eviction notices issued by the Kuala Lumpur Land Administrator on various occasions, the latest of which ordered landowners to vacate their homes by October 19.
Anwar’s political secretary Azman also told Scoop that, given the government’s ownership of the land in the area according to the LAA, eviction notices would be issued in accordance with standard procedures.
However, he assured residents that no enforcement action would be taken against those choosing to stay in their homes.
Scoop also previously spoke to Kg Sg Baru residents, Khalid, and a lawyer representing the action committee on the issues happening in the area. – December 31, 2023