Kg Baru to vote on non-Malay participation

KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — Federal Territories Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin will let the capital city’s Kampung Baru landowners have the final say on a proposal to allow non-Malays to take part in the area’s development plans.

The minister said today the contentious issue of how much Kampung Baru’s Malay Reserve restrictions should be lifted was entirely up to its residents.

“We will take a vote from the owners and heirs [of Kampung Baru] as to what they want, whether it’s 100 per cent, 90 per cent or 80 per cent,” he said.

“We will meet with them and ask them to vote. And we will follow [their wishes].”

This was an apparent U-turn from his previous statement that non-Malays were key to the redevelopment of Kampung Baru as government-linked companies (GLCs) did not believe in the commercial viability of restricted land.

To that end, he had proposed to open up Kampung Baru to non-Malays at a 60:40 Malay-to-non-Malay ratio, which became a hot-button topic with residents there.

He was later forced to explain that not a single square inch of Kampung Baru land would be sold to non-Malays.

Raja Nong Chik reiterated once more that the ministry’s proposal to open up Kampung Baru to non-Malays did not involve the transfer of any land to the latter group.

“The most important thing is land. The land will not be transferred to others,” he said today.

“I have to appreciate the sentimentalism of some of the heirs because this land was given by the Sultan of Selangor.”

However, he said authorities will consider selling strata lots in hotels, apartments and other high-rises to non-Malays, including foreign investors, if it was in the interest of development.

“The land will forever be in the ownership of the Malays but the strata title of certain properties can be considered to be given to foreigners and other Malaysians,” he said after meeting with six Malay NGOs at KL City Hall Building this morning.

The NGOs present were Perkasa, the Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS), the Malay Traders and Entrepreneurs Association of Malaysia (Perdasama), the Malay Chamber of Commerce (DPMM), the Guild of Bumiputera Contractors and the Malaysian Bumiputera Service Industry and Manufacturers Association (PPIPBM).

They had all earlier agreed in principle to the 60:40 proposal except for GPMS, which felt that Kampung Baru property should remain 100 per cent Malay.

Raja Nong Chik stressed that the government will not force Kampung Baru landowners to give up their land through the use of compulsory acquisition.

“I don’t see that the government will forcibly to acquire the land except in the case where 80 per cent [of landowners] have already consented... and even then, it’ll be on a case-to-case basis,” he said.

Section 3(1)(b) of the Land Acquisition Act 1960 allows the state authority to acquire any land which “is needed by any person or corporation for any purpose which in the opinion of the State

Authority is beneficial to the economic development of Malaysia or any part thereof or to the public generally or any class of the public”.

He added that the title exchange between landowners and GLCs involved can only be done after the formation of the Kampung Baru Development Board (PPKB) under an act of Parliament.

He also said that the GLCs approached by the ministry were interested but had to first seek approval from their respective boards before anything could be finalised.

“We have identified PNB (Permodalan Nasional Bhd) and Tabung Haji [as GLCs to redevelop Kampung Baru] but while they are interested they will first have to obtain approval from their respective boards.”

The ministry plans to table the proposal for Kampung Baru’s redevelopment to Cabinet in October.

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