Kg Baru : Zulkarnain Kahfi (Reply Comment)

My Comment To Your Post - Dr M warns Singapore fate for Kg Batu Malays

From:	Zulkarnain Kahfi
To:	husseinhamid@y7mail.com

Brother Hussien, I beg to disagree with you that Dr M is a first class idiot in regard to Kg Baru land. I think he is quite relevant.

Dr M maybe right ….. That Kg Baru Malays may suffer the same fate of their ethnic cousins in Singapore. In Singapore there is a place called Kg Glam where there was a Istana Kg Glam and Masjid Kg Glam. Kg Glam was an enclave of the Malays mainly Bugis (You must check your Salasilah). But what is left now is only the mosque.

The Singapore government did pay a fair amount of compensation to the Malays of Kg Glam. However, when the sum was divided according to “Hukum Fara’id” among all the beneficiaries you could guess how much they each got. Hence, the Malays of Kg. Glam are scattered around the republic, in the HDB flats perhaps…Where else?

The 110-year old Kg Baru Kuala Lumpur which is located on 90.2 hectare of land consists of seven villages with a population of around 35,000 people. The villages are Kg Periuk, Kg Masjid, Kg Atas A, Kg Atas B, Kg Hujung Pasir, Kg Paya and Kg Pindah.

The Kg Baru issue has dragged on after the Federal Government, PR and public officials were unable to reach an agreement with the villagers. With the establishment of a new corporation it will open up Kg Baru land for non-Malay ownership which apparently would affect the Kg Baru Malays and its future generations.

Salient Points of Kampung Baru Development Corporation Bill 2010 (“KBDC”)

1.The draft KBDC Bill was tabled in Parliament last year.

2.The KBDC Bill will enable the newly formed body to regulate development of Kg Baru.

3.The KBDC will replace and supersede the Malay Agricultural Settlement Board (“MAS”).

4.The KBDC will form a 15 Member Advisory Council (“Advisory Council”) represented by the local community that would absorb MAS’ role.

5. KBDC IS NOT OBLIGED TO FOLLOW THE ADVISORY COUNCIL’S PROPOSITION.

6. KBDC DECISIONS CANNOT BE CHALLENGED IN ANY COURT OF LAW.

7.The KBDC must be led by a Muslim Malay.

Comments From YB

1.MAS should not be dissolved: It should be promoted to “Badan Amanah Kampung Baru (“Badan Amanah”).

2.Badan Amanah will be custodian of the Kg Baru’s landed property.

3.The KBDC‘s immunity to the law clause must be cancelled or amended in order to protect the rights of Kg Baru property owners.

4.The government is attempting to erode Malay land ownership rights in Kampung Baru by destroying century-old laws that were enacted during the British colonial rule.

Comments From The Minister

1.This is a manifestation of recommendations made by you, the land owners and beneficiaries.

2.We did not come out with the idea to form the corporation on our own.

3.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.

4.We are not sidelining MAS. That was why we proposed to form the Advisory Council.

5.Most of them agreed with the proposal.

6.They are only worried that this place would end up like Bukit Bintang, with all the negative activities.

Comments From The Government

1.The villagers and landowners in Kampung Baru would not be relocated in the government’s latest plans to redevelop Kampung Baru.

2.The villagers’ feedback would be sought before any development took place in the settlement.

3.The land value of Kampung Baru would surpass RM20 billion once the government’s redevelopment plans were fully realised.

Comments From MAS

1.MAS have questioned the government’s decision to form the corporation as a regulatory body for Kg Baru’s redevelopment.

2.We disagree with this bill because we noticed that the draft bill was vastly different from our discussion.

3.Our suggestions raised during the workshop in Malacca were not incorporated.

4.We were dissatisfied with the Ministry’s explanation on the bill during its dialogue session.

5.The ministry’s explanation had only caused confusion among villagers.

Will we wake up one day and discovered that what is left is only the Kg Baru mosque? Will the Kg Baru Malays suffer the same fate like their ethnic cousins in the Malay enclave of Kg Glam, Singapore? Dr M may be rights after all…..