We're ready to talk, Kg Sungai Baru residents accept govt offer to seek settlement

The residents of Kampung Sungai Baru in the heart of Kuala Lumpur who were evicted from their homes yesterday have agreed with the government's move to find a solution to their crisis, saying they are ready to hold immediate talks with any appointed representative.

Their lawyer, N Surendran, also reiterated his stand that the administration of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim should take responsibility for yesterday's events and intervene at once on behalf of the residents.

"Government intervention is critical. The government cannot say this is between the developer and the residents. It cannot!

"The government's power was used to take the land. That is why the government is responsible," Surendran said at a press conference outside the home of Zainab Alias, one of the affected residents who is also chairman of the Kampung Sungai Baru Residents' Rights Committee.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi promised yesterday that a government representative would be sent to resolve the matter.

Surendran, an adviser to the committee, welcomed the assurance but insisted that any discussions with the residents must be held directly with the government.

"The whole country saw yesterday the huge problems going on in Kampung Sungai Baru," he said.

He also said that negotiations would only be effective if the demolition works ceased.

"We are ready to discuss with a government representative as said by the deputy prime minister.

"But how can talks be held with any effect if at the same time bulldozers are being deployed to their very doorsteps?"

He said the government could not wash its hands of the matter on the grounds that it involved only the residents and developer as the evictions were made under the Land Acquisition Act 1960 – a law long described as unjust by its critics.

"Land belonging to landowners was taken using drastic laws with very low compensation that did not reflect the market price, even though they did not ask for compensation and they were not part of the development," he said.

Surendran, a former vice-president of Anwar's party PKR who had once represented Anwar himself, also reminded the government of its repeated claims of adhering to reforms and an interest in the people's welfare. "I myself was with the prime minister of today, in prison and on the streets. Again and again, he would speak of the people's rights.

"How can it be that this government does not hear the complaints of these residents? I cannot accept this," he said.

'Misery'

Surendran said that Section 13(1c) of the Land Acquisition Act had caused the people "misery and pain".

He said much of the proposed development on the site comprised a shopping complex and luxury commercial buildings.  

"Only part of the area will be for condominiums for the people of Kampung Sungai Baru," he added.

"Don't forget, many of the people here own landed property. Now, they will have to live in condominiums. Is this fair?"

Surendran added that the government could not blame the residents.

"This land was taken by force, and the wrong procedure was used against the people of Malaysia.

"We greatly regret the many accusations that the people are being persecuted through the use of this act. If this were not so, we would not have this problem today.

"So I would like to ask the ministers in the Cabinet: what would they do if their own land was taken from them through this act?"

Eviction failed to follow law

The eviction of residents from the houses and flats in Kampung Sungai Baru yesterday was done amid heavy police presence, with more than 300 officers present complete with riot control trucks.

The residents had tried since the early hours of the morning to stop the contract workers and enforcement officers from entering their homes.

A scuffle eventually broke out which left Dang Wangi district police chief Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman bleeding from his head while several civilians suffered minor injuries.

Surendran questioned claims by the police that yesterday's operation was carried out according to the law.

He said that police officers, as enforcement personnel, could only monitor the situation while the evictions themselves would be carried out by the developer and the court bailiff.

"The authorities cannot act as though they are the developer's spokesman," he said.

"They are only there to maintain public peace, not to condone an operation that is clearly oppressive."  

'Where were you?'

At the same press conference, activist Rafidah Ibrahim spoke of how politicians and the authorities alike had left the residents to struggle on their own.

"We lodged a report with Suhakam, the guardian of human rights. Where is Suhakam?

"Where are the representatives responsible for Kampung Sungai Baru? Where are the authorities? Are you with the people or not? It's as if we here in Kampung Sungai Baru have been isolated.

"Whether you are in a position of authority or not, you were not with us. Where were you?"

Zainab meanwhile rejected claims that the residents had received compensation from the developer to the tune of millions.

She said those living in flats were only given about RM448,000 while home owners in terrace houses were given verbal assurances of compensation in the form of condominium units, with nothing written in black and white.  

"Everything was verbal, just hearsay," she added.  

"My house was double storey, 4,000 square feet. I never got RM3.8 million.

"In Putrajaya, a house smaller than that would cost almost RM1.7 million."

She added that residents like her had lived in Kampung Sungai Baru for a long time.

"This is my village, this is where I was born. My forefathers were all here. My grandparents are buried in the Ampang cemetery.

"Why must I move somewhere else? This is my home. I don't care how much money the developer gives."

The residents previously cited a document issued in 1932 by the then resident of Selangor, clearly identifying Kampung Sungai Baru as Malay agricultural land or MAS, a status under British colonial administration that gave it protection and strict conditions against any acquisition of land.