Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad tried and failed. So did the former  Selangor MB, the late Harun Idris, in the 70's. Recent talk by Prime Minister  Najib Abdul Razak to develop Kampung Baru has left its residents furious about  the possibility of developers charging for over-priced work and UMNO cronies  taking advantage of them. The depth of feeling has prompted a few houses to  display large banners stating “Tak akan kami serahkan Kg Baru kepada orang  luar”.
Instead of pushing ahead with plans to develop the area, Kg Baru’s  administrators want the government to solve outstanding issues first.
The  Malay Agricultural Settlement (MAS) board honorary secretary Shamsuri Suradi  warned that the problems were varied and include issuance of land titles and  issues to do with Islamic inheritance laws. He predicted that the government  would possibly take around 10 years to resolve these.
On 22 February, Najib  announced a RM20 million allocation for renovating and upgrading the Kg Baru  Jamek Mosque Renovation work would enlarge the prayer hall right up to the  fence/boundary and make it a double storey facility to accommodate an increased  congregation on Fridays.
Under the new development plans the government  decided to form the Kampung Baru Development Corporation, replacing the role  currently played by MAS in administering the settlement. The Kg Baru draft  Bill was tabled for first reading during the last Parliament’s session in  December.
Just before he left for Australia, Najib announced that the  development plans were put on hold. It was supposed to be presented for second  reading when Parliament resumed this week, but Federal Territory and Urban Well  Being Minister Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin has postponed it to  June.
The fierce opposition to the draft law also resulted in the  government’s decision to drop a controversial immunity clause.
The draft law  provides immunity from legal action to the corporation and its members when  discharging their duties as administrators of Kampung Baru.
Kampung Baru is  not the usual standard "Malay Reserve" land. It is a “Malay Settlement” land and  is covered by different and special by-laws/regulations. The area covers 90.2  hectares and comprises seven villages with 4,000 landowners. Some of the plots  have several owners, due to Islamic inheritance laws.
Kampung Baru lies  within the Titiwangsa federal constituency which has always been an Umno  fortress which fell to PAS in Election 2008.
Most of the people in Kg Baru  are Indonesians. Myanmars and other nationalities are fearful of staying in Kg  Baru because of the high numbers of Indonesians there, most of whom have red ICs  or working permits.
One resident who did not want to be named said, “We need  the area to be cleaned up. Although rubbish is collected by an independent  contractor 3 times a week, the area is still messy. Litter is a big problem and  rats are a huge nuisance.
“The large numbers of Indonesians renting in the  area, and their attitude on hygiene is different from us. Most are there for  short-term only, so don't bother about maintaining a clean area”.
According  to one owner-occupier, Johan Hamid, “Personally, I can never imagine Kg Baru  transformed into a Subang Jaya type of township. The best is to help the owners  clean up/spruce up their land/houses and if they want to turn it into a modern  apartment or eating outlet, let it be. I mean, even the name is Kg Baru, so it  has to be maintained as a kampung with its features such as coconut trees, free  of congestion/parking fees.
Although there is only a handful of kampong style  houses here, there are busloads of tourists who take photos and eat in the many  restaurants here. Many people especially nurses, come to Kg Baru to rent  houses / apartments because it is right in the city centre and is close to the  General Hospital.
Islamic inheritance laws mean a plot may have several  owners. This complicates matters for development as one representative has to  liaise with the government. Sometimes, one member may oppose the whole project,  altogether.
Many of the owners are elderly and have moved out to stay with  their children. Some rent their homes out. Most don't have the resources to  improve the premises and the longer they wait, the houses become more  dilapidated. Another important issue is land titles as some of the plots have  no titles.
There has been a steady objection to Najib’s plans to develop the  area. Although many of the land owners no longer live there, they were opposed  to the proposed development of Kg Baru with “60 per cent Malays and 40 per cent  non-Malay”.
A recent report said that 75 per cent of the land will be  developed as commercial property with only 25 per cent residential. Landowners  feared having to move out of Kg Baru One person summed it up, “We're really  not sure what Najib wants with Kg Baru. Is he listening to someone telling him  to grab Kg Baru as it sits next to the Petronas Twin Towers?
"As it is prime  land, does he want to develop it for his personal gain whilst under the pretext  of "helping" clean up and modernise Kg Baru? If so, he's in for a tough fight as  I don't think the people in Kg Baru are that greedy and not all of them are  desperate for money.”
-- 
Pusat Khidmat Wakil Rakyat Titiwangsa, No 10 Jalan Raja Muda Musa, Kg Baru, 50300 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 0326980025 Fax: 0326980026 yb.drlolo@gmail.com twitter: docmarjan Fb: Yb Dr Lo'Lo'