Return to PH plan for Kampung Baru, says Amanah man

 

Plans to develop Kampung Baru have been delayed over the question of compensation for the landowners.

PETALING JAYA: The Barisan Nasional government should take a page out of Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) book in dealing with the ongoing Kampung Baru land dispute, an Amanah leader said.

Amanah central committee member Faiz Fadzil said PH’s idea was to buy over the land and then consult with the developers.

Residents in Kampung Sungai Baru said they had been offered between RM200,000 and RM250,000 in compensation by the Kampong Bharu Development Corporation to vacate their land but this was way too little to buy a property nearby.

However, federal territories minister Shahidan Kassim said on Tuesday the final compensation amount had not been determined.

In a statement today, Faiz said proceeding with the current plan, where the landowners must negotiate compensation directly with the developer, placed the residents at a disadvantage as they lacked the leverage and negotiation skills.

It also complicated negotiations due to the complex land claims in the area, which could delay development.

“These problems can be overcome if the government adopts the Kampung Baru development plan introduced by the PH government previously,” said the Permatang Pasir assemblyman.

“In that plan, the government proposed to buy the relevant land and then consult with the developers.

“This method will not only accelerate the development of Kampung Baru but also promises good compensation for the affected landowners.”

He said the PH government had earlier offered RM1,000 per sq ft, which would include RM150 in shares in the eventual property.

The compensation package would include a 15% discount if the landowners chose to purchase property in Kampung Baru after the redevelopment had been completed.

“This plan was devised by PH to ensure the landowners were given fair compensation without losing the right to continue living in Kampung Baru,” he said.

Faiz said it was unreasonable for the government to scrap PH’s plan as only 61% of the residents had given their consent .

He said development should have been able to proceed in areas where consent had already been given.

“The government must also be more transparent in the development planning for Kampung Baru.

“Land valuation reports need to be presented to the public.

“In addition, details on the type of development that will take place, land plot ratio and permitted population density should be given publicly.

“With information like this, the landowners can determine if the compensation offered per square foot is fair,” he said. - FMT