KUALA LUMPUR – The eviction of Kg Sg Baru residents to make way for a contentious multi-billion ringgit redevelopment project has been put on hold yet again.
Several residents, who were initially scheduled to move out of their homes today, told Scoop that they had only gotten word of the postponement through the Kg Sg Baru Terrace Homes and Flat Owners Action Committee.
They added that while the delay has provided residents with more time to prepare for their impending eviction, the lack of an official notice from authorities on the matter is worrying and frustrating.
“We (residents) only heard from the committee that the eviction has been postponed to October 31. We have not received any official letter from authorities,” resident Rozana Aini, 51, said.
Noting that this is the third eviction postponement, Rozana also said that residents have yet to be approached for the supposed negotiations between landowners and private developer Ritzy Gloss Sdn Bhd, which Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had promised to hold.
“We just want to seek justice… the developers should come and see us and listen to our demands for better compensation since the ones offered to us are illogical,” she said.
She added that residents are still hoping that their appeal for the eviction to be pushed back to the end of this year will be allowed by authorities.
It was previously reported that Kg Sg Baru residents were dissatisfied with the approximately 310% difference in compensation offered by the Lands and Mines Office as compared with private valuations.
In one case, a resident’s flat was valued at RM470 per sqft by the Finance Ministry’s Valuation and Property Management Department, while an independent assessor said the flat should be worth RM1,480 per sqft.
Meanwhile, another resident, who requested to be known only as Ali, urged Anwar’s administration to address the issue through a public statement to ease the concerns of landowners.
“Have they (government officials) started negotiating with the developers on the project? “Why haven’t we (residents) been told anything?
“How can they leave us in the dark like this? The prime minister should come out and say something. We have our dignity. Don’t try to treat us like squatters,” he said.
Anwar’s political secretary, Azman Abidin, has since confirmed with Scoop that the eviction has been pushed to October 31.
In January, Anwar put a halt to the mixed development project to allow further negotiations with residents and stakeholders.
However, on September 5, residents were served with an eviction notice issued by the Kuala Lumpur Land Administrator.
At that time, residents had also appealed for Anwar to issue an official statement on the eviction notice stating that residents were found to be staying on government land without permission from state authorities.
According to the notice, this is a violation of Section 425(1) of the National Land Code.
The law stipulates that those found occupying government or reserve land without legitimate permission, among others, can be fined a maximum amount of RM500,000 or imprisoned for up to five years.
The residents’ eviction is in line with the Land Acquisition Act (LAA) 1960, the legislation that the government used to take formal possession of land in the historic Malay enclave in June 2021.
This came after Ritzy Gloss’ application for the LAA was approved by then-federal territories minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa under the Perikatan Nasional government.
The use of the LAA has been the target of certain residents’ ire, with some claiming that the interests of private developers have been prioritised over citizens’ welfare.
The Prime Minister’s Department now oversees federal territory matters. – October 4, 2023