Kg Pokok Assam residents land in eviction fiasco

The predicament had resulted in some villagers being categorised as squatters on the plots that their ancestors toiled on in land-scarce Penang.

GEORGE TOWN: Another village is now on the state’s radar of territorial disputes between the landowners, developers and villagers, where some of the villagers are now categorised as squatters in land-scarce Penang.

Malay settlement Kampung Pokok Assam makes it four villages in Penang that are facing eviction since May while its inhabitants are living in decaying, slum-like conditions.

Three other villages are facing the same predicament – Sungai Nibong Kechil in Bayan Baru, the oldest Malay village in Malaysia to face an uncertain future; the Tanjong Tokong fishermen village and the Sungai Gelugor village.

Due to a shortage of land especially on the island, Penang is struggling with the prospects of dealing with the highly sensitive evictions of a dozen-like traditional villages as the thirst for development outweighs the sentiment to preserve.

When speaking of eviction, Buah Pala Village in Gelugor comes to mind where several families were descendants of the original settlers of the now-defunct Brown Estate fought off the authorities for several months in 2009 before they were forcibly removed with a court order and the police.

This time however, the dispute of the Kampung Pokok Assam residents has taken a twist as it has the potential to bring about a major public disorder because it sits in the heart of an urban enclave, forcing the police instead of the state government to intervene and mediate.

The police were called in as neither the local state assemblypersons, community leaders, nor civil society groups were able to resolve the long-standing problem.

Already, one suspect is in police custody for allegedly vandalising the office of the developer in Jelutong, while police are nervously determining claims that triads had been called in to intimidate the construction workers or villagers.

Kampung Pokok Assam is said to be 100-years-old, and it situated in Jelutong, at one of the earliest Malay settlements in a predominantly Chinese township.

The dispute which began in 2011, had resulted in 56 police reports lodged since. Despite losing a court battle to the developer, some residents were adamant that the construction site was part of their ancestry land therefore, they were not squatters.

The then 100 families had dwindled to 29 after some accepted the compensations from the developer, while others simply moved away, with many onto the mainland where accommodation cost was marginally lower.

The 29 families defiantly remained on the land, forcing the George Town OCPD ACP Gan Kong Meng to hold a media briefing on the issue.

Stern police warning

Gan issued a stern warning that police did not want another ‘Buah Pala’ episode.

The contentious issue now is a tiny access road, which the developer built to ensure that the construction of a housing project got underway without further delay.

The road was causing flash floods to the 29 homes as well as making it difficult for the residents to access the main road in Jelutong.

Gan said police assistance were required in defusing the tension as the force was also worried that the dispute could spread to the neighbouring villages.

“We have to do our job in maintaining public order. We want to uphold security.”

On the alleged involvement of gangsters, Gan urged those affected to lodge police reports to enable action to be taken.

However, he cautioned the villagers against taking the law into their hands and that, “we know what to do.”

Gan also urged politicians to refrain from stirring emotions, saying that this issues were mostly civil and it should not be politicised.

Former Kebun Bunga assemblyman Jason Ong Khan Lee said the issue was far from over as the state needed to resolve their dilemma.

“We want development but we also have squatters in this state. We are unable to find a solution and we allow the problem to drag on while the villages become a sore sight due to neglect from all involved. We must have a policy on this,” he said.

Ong, who was advocating the preservation of old villages as “living heritage” enclaves, wanted the state and federal authorities to combine their resources to find solutions.

His PKR counterpart Yusmadi Yusoff had also echoed something similar, saying that the National Land Code must be reviewed to ensure the rights of the original settlers are protected thus, preventing them from being evicted from the plots that their ancestors toiled on.