MY grandmother carried me, boarded the train and brought me back to Kg Baru. I was two weeks young and her first grandchild. My father was to be posted to Brunei then. And the rest is history.

I grew up in Kg Baru. Our house is sort of a community centre when May 13, 1969 struck and also during the January 1971 Kuala Lumpur floods.

New evidence shows that Umno has its origins at the Sultan Sulaiman Club in Kg Baru and it also played a central role in the Reformasi protests of 1998.  

There were many plans to develop Kg Baru and many residents are tired of responding to surveys because they think nothing will happen.

The latest plan is taking over 61.1ha at a cost of between RM6 billion and RM10 billion – if all the landowners settled for cash pay-outs.

The Federal Territories minister said the people there preferred to have the government rather than developers. He assured that Kg Baru will remain a Malay enclave.

Historically, the land was bestowed by the sultan of Selangor more than 100 years ago and it is enshrined in the agreement, “As long as there is a moon and stars in the sky, the land ownership will remain in Malay hands”.

The Kg Baru Development Corp (KBCD) was established in 2012 to facilitate development but there have been no major changes since.

There are more than 5,000 landowners involving 1,355 lots with land ownership, titles and even land valuation issues. The redevelopment project spans more than 20 years under the Kg Baru Detailed Development Master Plan that was launched in 2015.

Ownership is complicated, usually jointly owned by members of the family and any owner has a say or veto in the matter of the whole piece of property.

While I welcome the new plan, I hope the following are to be given due consideration.

* Form a working group comprising all stakeholders and experts so that decisions will be acceptable to all

* Sincerity of all involved

* The project’s viability is key and be transparent about it

* Create a township with tourist destination in mind

* Obtain fair market value for the land and owners can also have a share in the profit of the development of the area

* Stop politicians who play with emotions and say things like “the Malays are going to lose their land” without offering alternative ideas

* Landowners not to be “overly” nostalgic about glories of the past

* Do not rush – lots of communication and patience needed and explain the full economic benefit for landowners’ acceptance

* We need strong political will

* We need good quality products and maintenance culture to ensure properties there can continuously command good prices

* It should be a smart, green and a low-carbon city

* Should be a model Malay township for all the Malays worldwide

I hope this is the magic formula everyone has been waiting for and help solve the jigsaw puzzle with all the pieces joined together.

I also hope that this plan by the minister has got the acceptance of not only residents but also the “wakil rakyat” of that area. If not, it will be another case of Taman Rimba Kiara where the “wakil rakyat” is not on the same page with the minister.

I may not live in Kg Baru now but if this plan succeeds, I will carry my grandson, board the MRT and bring him visit to Kg Baru. – April 24, 2019.

* Saleh Mohammed reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.