RESIDENTS in Kampung Sungai Baru in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur are not giving up their fight to earn a reasonable compensation from developers who have just issued them with a notice of eviction last week.

In a press conference this morning, residents are now pleading with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to cancel the notice and to allow residents to negotiate with developers for a fair sum of compensation.

Led by former federal territories minister Khalid Samad, they urged Anwar to hold a meeting with residents directly instead of listening to others.

“As the prime minister we would like to plead with Anwar Ibrahim to listen to the residents in Kampung Sungai Baru who have just been served a notice of eviction last week.

“They were given 30 days to leave but they were not offered a fair sum of compensation. This is prime land, the developers can make more money but why are they not giving the residents a fair treatment?

“As the prime minister, Anwar has the power to stop the notice from going through because the notice is not from the court,” said Khalid.

The Federal Territories Ministry now falls under the Prime Minister’s Department.

The federal territories comprise Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan.

The new department will be spearheaded by Rosida Jaafar, who was made secretary-general of the ministry in 2019.

Previously, the residents had tried to get Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s attention when the Bera MP was the prime minister.

In April, The Malaysian Insight reported that households in the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) flats in Kampung Sungai Baru were refusing to move out even after an eviction notice following a takeover of the land by a developer.

Those refusing the order said they will stay put to fight for higher compensation than the RM250,000 offered per household in the high-value prime location facing the Petronas Twin Towers.  

The last Malay reserve village in the middle of the city, Kampung Baru is iconic and dear to its residents and heritage conservationists who want to preserve the area’s cultural and historical significance.

Plans for its redevelopment have been controversial, involving disputes over the amount of compensation from developers and the aesthetics of new projects that alter the area’s traditional Malay look and feel. 

The PKNS flats, located near the Saloma Bridge, has eight blocks of 264 residential units and sits on 1.4ha of land. 

The issue of land acquisition in the area started in 2016 when the developer, Ritzy Gloss Sdn Bhd, which is a subsidiary of Suez Capital Sdn Bhd, made an offer to develop the area through a joint venture with the residents. This was aimed at giving the residents a say in their relocation and the development plans.  

As of 2020, the developer has reportedly obtained the approval of 226 flat owners and 27 terrace house owners in the area. 

The development plans for the area include the resettlement of all flat and terrace house residents in new apartment blocks that are promised to be of high value. Luxury condominiums, offices and retail space would be built on the land to be taken over.  

Ritzy Gloss has said the new apartments where flat owners would be resettled will be between 900sf and 1,200sf and worth between RM850,000 and RM1.2 million.

Despite the promise of a high-value property, the 38 flat unit owners and another 71 terrace house owners have refused to accept the deal because the developer failed to provide official documents to back its claims. – December 26, 2022.