MB: Bkt Jalil residents’ demand impractical

Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim, who is also the Bandar Tun Razak MP, says DBKL has made a reasonable offer.

SHAH ALAM: Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim feels that the residents in Ladang Bukit Jalil are getting a reasonable offer from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

At a press conference today, Khalid, who is also Bandar Tun Razak MP, however called on DBKL to be more humane when dealing with the residents. Bukit Jalil falls under the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary constituency.

“The placement and the monetary offer made by DBKL are quite reasonable as it is well above any normal compensation offered by others,” said Khalid.

The 41 families in the estate had been at loggerheads with DBKL since 2009 over their eviction orders. DBKL plans to construct a Muslim cemetery on the 26-acre land. Plans are also afoot for a non-Muslim cemetery.

The latest eviction notice came on March 1, after Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being Minister Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin met the residents on Feb 23 and announced that DBKL would only offer RM23,000 each to those who had worked in the rubber estate for more than 15 years and RM11,000 for the rest as compensation.

The minister then told them that the offer was final and eviction would take place whether they accepted it or not.

The residents had rejected the offer as it did not include their four-acre land demand to build low- cost houses.

Unfazed by the new eviction notices, the residents had since taken up their case with the Bar Council who had promised to get an injuction to stop the demolition work.

The Bar claimed that the new eviction notices were illegal as DBKL had not received a court order to evict them.

The residents have also submitted a memorandum to the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) to seek help and will be heading to the Parliament tomorrow to enlist the support of friendly MPs.

Khalid also expressed hope that both DBKL and the residents would continue negotiations to reach an amicable solution.

Asked what he thought about the residents’ demand for the four acres of land for housing, Khalid said their demand was unreasonable.

“It is impractical. I am certain that the property owner has already planned something with the 26-acre land,” he added. - FMT