IT was home for a few dwellers and it was named Rumah Tampal. To others, it was just a dilapidated house made of plywood along Jalan Dewan Sultan Sulaiman in the historic Kg Baru, the first Malay settlement in the centre of Kuala Lumpur.
It was built by Rajzuan Ibrahim, 60, or Pak Man, who has lived in Kuala Lumpur for almost 20 years, eking out a living by collecting recyclable materials after his business failed years ago.
Pak Man opened Rumah Tampal to anyone in need and while small, the house can accommodate up to six families. He shared the house with people from various backgrounds, including junkies, ex-convicts, the homeless, single mothers, the mentally ill, and even children as young as six.
In Kuala Lumpur alone, some 2,000 people were homeless in 2015 and the figure has been increasing each year.
For those who had sought shelter with Pak Man, Rumah Tampal was a haven despite its poor condition – dirty with no running water or electricity. But for his neighbours, not only was the house an eyesore, but a nest for social ills that should be demolished.
The thing is, Pak Man may have provided a roof over the heads of the needy, but Rumah Tampal was built illegally on land that he did not own. Kuala Lumpur City Hall has asked its occupants to move out and rent in the public housing scheme for the poor called Projek Perumahan Rakyat Miskin Tegar (PPRT) but to no avail.
Charity organisations have approached the Rumah Tampal dwellers several times, helping them join programmes linked to small- and medium-sized industries which provided salary, food, and accommodation. However, they lasted two weeks, struggling to abide by rules and restrictions on their once free lifestyle.
On April 13, 2017, Rumah Tampal was finally demolished by DBKL. A day before the demolition, some of its occupants were picked up by the national anti-drugs agency for dadah trafficking.
After sheltering the needy for many years, Rumah Tampal is now finally just a pile of rubble.
A full view of Rumah Tampal before it was demolished by Kuala Lumpur City Hall on April 13, 2017. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 20, 2017.Rumah Tampal existed in the shadows of KLCC for many years before it was demolished on April 13. Once a shelter for a few needy people, only scattered wooden planks remain now. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 20, 2017.Personal belongings from the demolished Rumah Tampal left by the roadside at Jalan Dewan Sultan Sulaiman, waiting to be collected. The owners never showed up. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 20, 2017.Rajzuan Ibrahim, 60, or Pak Man, built Rumah Tampal and never hesitated to welcome those in need of shelter. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 20, 2017.Pak Man and the Rumah Tampal occupants repairing the house using ply wood they took from a construction site some time last year. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 20, 2017.A boy in a songkok making his way to the mosque not far from Rumah Tampal to perform Asar prayers in 2016. ‘Safar, go to the mosque and be a good boy,’ his mother would advise daily. She died in January 2016. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 20, 2017.Kak Limah, 49, was one of the occupants of Rumah Tampal. The single mother suffered from ovarian cancer. She is worried about her daughter, seated beside her, should she die soon. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 20, 2017.A woman playing with her cats in Rumah Tampal last year. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 20, 2017.Rumah Tampal was built illegally on a private land. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 20, 2017.Pak Man collecting his belongings while a City Hall officer looks on. The authorities ordered Pak Man to clear the house before it was demolished on April 13. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 20, 2017.Ani (right) is in her 30s. The former occupant of Rumah Tampal was forced by her husband to take drugs which led to her addiction. She also struggles with depression after her mother-in-law took her baby away. She has no money or home and the street is the only place to go. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 20, 2017.Rumah Tampal being demolished with a backhoe. According to an officer from the nation anti-drugs agency, this is the best way to clear the area of drug addicts and crime. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 20, 2017.A girl laughing at a friend's joke in Rumah Tampal. The house may have been shabby but for those who sought shelter in it, they shared love, joy, and laughter. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 20, 2017.
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