Why the low value for Kg Baru land, asks Najib

Kampung Baru is one of the oldest Malay settlements in the city and the government intends to redevelop the area.

PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Najib Razak has questioned the government’s valuation of RM850 per square foot for Kampung Baru that sits near the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.

Kampung Baru, covering 89ha in the Golden Trangle, was located in an area where the land is valued at RM3,000 per square foot, said Najib.

But the Pakatan Harapan government says, based on the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH), the highest offer is RM850 per square foot, Najib wrote in his Facebook page.

“It is not abnormal at times for JPPH to carry out valuation which is well below the market price,” he said.

Najib was commenting on a town hall session today where Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad said the government’s offer to buy land in Kampung Baru at RM850 per square foot for redevelopment was the highest so far and based on a valuation by JPPH.

The plan will also include a green area as part of its sustainable commitment and a designated “Heritage Village” where cultural centres will be built to commemorate Kampung Baru’s history as one of the oldest Malay settlements in the city.

Attempts by past administrations to redevelop the land into residential and commercial plots were rejected by locals, said to be due to fear that minorities will soon swamp what is deemed to be the last Malay settlement in a Chinese-dominated city.

But Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in a five-minute video presentation today, told owners and heirs of Kampung Baru that allegations of development in Kampung Baru pushing the Malays out of the federal capital are completely baseless. - FMT