Kampung Baru or “Kampong Bharu” (meaning “New Village”) is a Malay enclave in central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. One of the most valuable tracts of land in the capital, it has been estimated to be worth up to US$ 1.4 billion. Kampung Baru’s elders have turned developers away, saying they want to preserve their ethnic Malay lifestyle. – Wiki
The man most passionate about this piece of gold mine is Tun Mahathir, the current Prime Minister of Malaysia under the new government of Pakatan Harapan. This passion of his began when he was the PM in the old Barisan Nasional regime, but failed to formulate a win-win deal with the landowners and the redevelopment project failed to materialize. He thought he could execute the same program as the one in Langkawi island, which btw is his first passion through the brokerage of Langkawi Development Authority (LADA).
Expectedly the Kampong Baru project is now back on top of his table and the road show has begun and the Town Hall Meet with the landowners took place today Sep 21.
Unfortunately (or fortunately) Mahathir couldn’t be present and his video opening address was screened on stage.
This time around the landowners gathered only to ask the question, “How much are you offering?” The moment the price was spewed from the mouth of the presenter Khalid Samad, the Minister of Federal Territory, the audience roared in jeers and boos!
The offing of RM850/sq. ft, was taken as humiliating by the landowners! Humiliating because the justifications for the low price as compared to the land prices surrounding Kampung Baru were lame and ludicrous.
Over the last couple of years, land transactions in the Bukit Bintang and KLCC areas have been concluded at between RM3,100 and RM3,600 psf. The offing of RM850/sq. ft, was taken as humiliating by the landowners! Humiliating because the justifications for the low price as compared to the land prices surrounding Kampong Baru were lame and ludicrous. – EdgeProp
BTW the iconic Twin Towers KLCC is just a stone’s throw away across the Gombak River, and in fact it is so close the tall shadows of the Twin Towers will fall on Kampong Baru.
And the reasons for for the humiliating offer is more humiliating. Look, racism is prime time in Malaysia and every policy and issues of control are wrapped and packed in boxes printed the word “Malay” on them. Now, here its all about Malay landowners and the bloody excuse of the low price offing is because Kampung Baru is a Reserved Malay land which the Colonial British administrators gazetted as a Malay agricultural settlement in 1900 under the Malay Agricultural Settlement Act. Kampung Baru and her landowners is the epitome of the very word “Malay” and you can’t be more Malay than them in Malaysia.
Befuddling and ludicrous? Like hell it is.
Resistance against Kampung Baru redevelopment is not about race, it’s money, residents say
Well, as far as the village folks are concerned the whole deal is old crap garnished with new artificial flavorings and it taste like rat meat.
Apparently being a Malay in the Malay heartland has its setbacks and not properly priced in status and symbol.
The special status of the land should put the Malays in higher stead and marked by a high land price tag. Isn’t that what its supposed to be anyway for the Superior Bumiputra?
Apparently not, the government kept harping on the Malays being poor and can’t afford anything and the Kampung Baru issue nailed that down.
Btw, Mahathir said during his days in the previous regime that Kampung Baru is akin to the Indian Reservation in America,
Tbh…how honest is the goverment?
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Satu Insan - Malaysia 