New Kg Baru body assures Malay interests, says FT minister

Raja Nong Chik sought to convince the villagers that the new corporation was their idea. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 — Putrajaya is playing the race card in developing Kampung Baru, saying a proposed new body will ensure that Malay interests are always protected in its future plans.

Federal Territory and Urban Well Being Minister Raja Datuk Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin assured villagers at the dialogue here last night that the new Kampung Baru Development Corporation would be dominated and led by Malays.

“This is a manifestation of recommendations made by you, the land owners and beneficiaries. We did not come out with the idea to form the corporation on our own,” he told some 200 villagers for the first time last night after the tabling of the Kampung Baru Development Corporation Bill.

According to the draft law tabled in Parliament yesterday, the corporation which would be tasked with regulating Kampung Baru development must be led by a Malay-Muslim.

An advisory council made up of the local community would also be formed to absorb the role of Kampung Baru’s de facto local authority, the Malay Agricultural Settlement (MAS) administration board.

Raja Nong Chik also said that the formation of the corporation was the better option over getting government linked companies (GLC) to develop the area or to form a trust as proposed by the Selangor government.

“If a GLC is tasked with developing Kampung Baru, imagine if Barisan Nasional loses power and the GLC would be taken over by others, you might lose your land,” he added.

The Kampung Baru Corporation Bill seeks to regulate the redevelopment of the Malay enclave in the city.

The draft law was tabled for first reading yesterday is expected to come into force by July next year, said Raja Nong Chik.

On concern that the MAS board would sidelined in the redevelopment, Raja Nong Chik assured that the corporation’s advisory council would continue to play similar role.

“We are not sidelining MAS. That was why we proposed to form the advisory council,” he said.

“Most of them agreed with the proposal; they are only worried that this place would end up like Bukit Bintang, with all the negative activities,” he added.

The 110-year old Kampung Baru Kuala Lumpur area covers seven villages, is located on 90.2 hectares of land and occupied by around 35,000 people. The villages are Kampung Periuk, Kampung Masjid, Kampung Atas A, Kampung Atas B, Kampung Hujung Pasir, Kampung Paya and Kampung Pindah.

The Kampung Baru issue has dragged on after the Barisan Nasional federal government (BN), Pakatan Rakyat which controls Selangor, as well as public officials were unable to reach an agreement regarding the development prospects with the residents of the largest Malay settlement in Kuala Lumpur.