A REPLY to a letter by one “Velan Perumal”, a supposed resident of the Bukit Kiara longhouses, published by The Malaysian Insight yesterday.

Dear “Velan Perumal”,

Firstly, we at the Bukit Kiara longhouses do not have a “Velan Perumal” listed as a resident. Our association has worked with Kuala Lumpur City Hall and Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP) to compile a list of all longhouse residents, and we have the records. I suggest The Malaysian Insight recheck the identity of this “Velan Perumal” and be more careful before publishing a letter by a supposed longhouse resident.

Secondly, so many people, including “Velan Perumal” and the YWP CEO, claim to be “concerned about the plight of the longhouses”. If you look carefully at their statements, none of them has been able to explain why a RM3 billion luxury condo project is necessary to build a RM25 million permanent housing for longhouse residents. They also never admit that of the 4.85ha taken by YWP, only 0.44ha will be used for affordable housing, with the rest for YWP and Malton’s luxury project.

Please stop using the longhouse community as an excuse for your big development plans!

Thirdly, many of us at the longhouses have already said YWP and Malton’s development plans will encroach on Taman Rimba Kiara, and we prefer that it be preserved for our and future generations. Just build on the existing 1.6ha of longhouses now – there is more than enough space to give us permanent housing on this plot.

Fourthly, “Velan Perumal” clearly has a twisted and compromised perspective. Hannah Yeoh is a hardworking MP who is trying to resolve our housing issue honestly. She has tried to engage openly with our people, and the majority of our community appreciates her efforts. We are ready to work with her to find a good solution to our housing issue.

Is “Velan Perumal” willing to join us and work towards better housing for our future generations?

Finally, “Velan Perumal” repeats statements previously made by the likes of V. Sunderam, chairman of Pertubuhan Penduduk Perumahan Awam Bukit Kiara. We have highlighted that Sunderam does not speak for the entire longhouse community, and he and his association have failed till now to properly explain what happened to the RM700,000 developer contributions that were supposed to be used for longhouse repairs.

If “Velan Perumal” is so concerned about the rule of law and welfare of longhouse residents, he can start by helping us find out what happened to the RM700,000. – May 7, 2019.

* Sivakumar Muniandy is Persatuan Penduduk Rumah Panjang Bukit Kiara secretary.

* 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.