THE government can offer a higher rate to Kg Baru landowners for their plots but affecting its redevelopment that lead to unaffordable property prices for many Malays, said Prime Minster Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said he feared that the property, such as housing unit, will have to be sold at a very high price and may be out of reach for many.

“We can offer higher rate to the landowners, but we are worried that with the increased rate for their plots, the price of the property which to be built later, such as houses, flats and apartments, will go up too.

“If they agreed to sell their plots (to the government) at a lower price, then we will be able to build houses that are low-priced and affordable for the Malays.

“If we want to follow the market price, there will not be any Malay residing in Kg Baru. If you want that, we will do that for you,” he said after opening the International Medical Device Conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

For this reason, he said a special price has been offered to the landowners, with an eye on preserving the only Malay enclave in the city centre.

It was reported that the government had offered to buy land in Kg Baru at a rate of RM850 per square feet.

Dr Mahathir said in other places that initially belonged to Malays, many poor Malays have sold their land at a good price only to never be able to buy it back.

“Hence, the Malays must remain in Kg Baru, because Kg Baru is for the Malays.” – Bernama, October 15, 2019.