KUALA LUMPUR – After some fiery exchanges on social media, the Kebun-Kebun Bangsar community garden operator has extended an olive branch to some of its neighbours who have been irked by the farm animals at the site for years.
Kebun-Kebun Bangsar co-founder and landscape architect Ng Seksan said he and the garden’s volunteers now prefer to “put the matter to rest” and have the opinions of all stakeholders heard.
“Our priorities are to heal our community and if there are disagreements, we must agree to disagree,” he told The Vibes.
“We like to move on to find other areas of cooperation rather than conflict.”
Earlier, the community garden distanced itself from remarks made by its own deputy chairman Datuk M. Ali after the latter opposed having farm animals on its site.
On its official Facebook page, Kebun-Kebun Bangsar – in response to an article by The Star – claimed that Ali had not visited the site in four years, and might not understand the “real” issues on hand.
This came after Ali insisted that farm animals did not belong in an urban township, adding that those living in close proximity had a right to be frustrated over the matter.
“It is rather embarrassing for Kebun-Kebun Bangsar deputy chairman Datuk M. Ali to be saying all these things against the community he claims to represent, especially since he has not visited the community garden in the few years since we started in 2017.
“We need sensitivity when dealing (with) matters that affect our community. We apologise on his behalf.”
In the article titled “Animals don’t belong in urban farms” on Saturday, Ali was quoted as saying that he had advised the operator to obtain written consent from the immediate neighbours if farm animals are to be kept in the garden.
However, he later clarified with The Vibes that the consent needed during the initial phases of the development was merely for the community garden to exist, as the idea of farm animals was not even mentioned.
“KKB started off with no livestock. But then the chickens came and later ducks and a cow. There was even a peacock recently. The situation has really gotten out of hand,” he added.
Ali was one of at least four immediate neighbours who complained about the farm animals there, and insisted they be moved to another location.
However, the neighbours did not oppose the original idea of having a community garden in the current location.
Ng’s response to The Vibes is also a reversal of remarks he made on his personal Facebook page, in which he said he was “not here to seek consensus or enter into a popularity contest”.
“I’m here to fix the screwups of our past and leave something better for the future generations. We can agree to disagree.
“But I’m not interested in being dragged into discussions (about) what they see or smell or hear from their bedrooms or kitchens.”
The site, owned by Tenaga Nasional Bhd and located near Lorong Bukit Pantai, was previously an idle piece of land that still hosts high voltage electricity pylons.
It was transformed by Ng and his team into a garden growing flowers, vegetables, and fruits in 2017.
The harvests were often distributed to the needy, especially during the movement control order.
On June 23, the Federal Territories Land and Mines Office issued an eviction notice to the famed community garden, citing an alleged violation of its temporary occupancy licence (TOL) after residents lodged verbal and written complaints about odour from animal manure, flies, and noise caused by farm animals being reared there.
The office had also highlighted the building of “permanent structures” on the site, which violated the TOL terms.
However, the latest eviction notice was rescinded on July 14 following a meeting between Kebun-Kebun Bangsar stakeholders and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
Shortly after the meeting, DBKL planning executive director Datuk Sulaiman Mohamed did not indicate whether the operator was ordered to remove the animals, but told the New Straits Times that “we will iron out issues related to the farm animals on the ground”.
He also said the farm had been reinstated under DBKL’s Local Agenda 21 programme (LA21).
Despite this, a DBKL officer who monitors urban farming under LA21 told The Star that “it is very clear” that the terms and conditions do not allow any animals on the land.
The concerns raised by the residents also ran similar to grouses highlighted in The Vibes’ article titled “Is there a dark side to Klang Valley’s community gardens?”.
In February 2020, the urban farm received its first eviction notice from DKBL and an instruction to remove the animals.
Following the first notice, Ng said the animals played an integral role in the farm as they educated visitors on relationships between humans, animals, and nature, apart from serving as a natural land grazing solution. – The Vibes, July 25, 2022
