KUALA LUMPUR – Some residents who live near the popular Kebun-Kebun Bangsar said the community garden has defeated its purpose by having farm animals and “invasive” activities involving outsiders.
Although the community garden has been lauded by some, it has become a nightmare for some of the nearby residents since its establishment more than five years ago.
The residents said Kebun-Kebun Bangsar is not a green nursery but a public park and a petting zoo, even though most of the site sits under high-voltage pylons owned by Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB).
Datuk M. Ali – Kebun-Kebun Bangsar’s former deputy chairman – said the garden has “deviated on the objectives” laid out during the planning phase in 2015.
The Bukit Bandaraya Residents’ Association adviser also took a swipe at the garden’s co-founder and landscape architect Ng Seksan, saying it has become “a recreational park to satisfy someone’s ego”.
However, the two men got into a war of words recently as Ng took to Facebook saying that M. Ali had not visited the site in four years, and might not understand the real issues involved.
When asked to clarify his position on Kebun-Kebun Bangsar, M. Ali said he no longer supports the garden and no one should be making statements on his behalf.
He also said he was not notified of his removal as the farm’s deputy chairman nor invited to a meeting to discuss the matter.
I don’t need any damn idiot to apologise on my behalf. When I want to apologise for any of my mistakes, I will be a gentleman and apologise. So, he (Ng) has no business, nor anyone else, to apologise on my behalf.”
The Vibes has reached out to Ng over M. Ali’s latest comments, but he has left it to the new management to respond. On July 26, the community garden also named new board members – which included Ng – and removed M. Ali as chairman and deputy chairman.
Kebun-Kebun Bangsar courted controversy after the Federal Territories Lands and Mines Office served it with an eviction notice on June 23.
Authorities reiterated that no permanent structures or animals were allowed on-site as it breached the conditions in the temporary occupancy licence. They also warned against holding gatherings and wide-scale activities there due to the pylons.
There were also complaints about odour from the manure, flies and noise caused by farm animals there. In February 2020, the urban farm received its first eviction notice from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and was instructed to remove the animals.
However, due to immense public support for the garden – with a petition signed by nearly 30,000 people – the eviction notice was rescinded on July 14 following a meeting between Kebun-Kebun Bangsar stakeholders and DBKL.
Aided by DBKL and its Local Agenda 21 Kuala Lumpur (LA21 KL) programme, as well as with a conditional nod from TNB, the land was transformed by Ng and his team into a garden growing flowers, vegetables and fruits in 2017.
The harvests were often distributed to soup kitchens while the number of ducks, chickens, peacocks and cows has been reduced in recent years.
Long-standing concerns
M. Ali said he supported the garden idea in its initial phases around 2015 and 2016, and even attended meetings, apart from agreeing to be its deputy chairman.
He also noted that he played the role of mediator between the garden project and its neighbouring Taman Weng Lock Rukun Tetangga committee, as well as residents from Taman Bangsar Pertama, who objected to the garden in 2016 due to landslide risks.
Taman Weng Lock sits at the foot of the hill slope where the TNB transmission wires above the current garden site pass through. It is also the site where the first 1.44-ac (0.58-ha) parcel of land between Jalan Tenggiri and Lorong Bukit Pantai was earmarked as the initial site for the garden back in 2016.
However, in December 2016, the then Kuala Lumpur mayor Tan Sri Mohd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz ordered the project to be moved further uphill on a second land parcel measuring 2.29ac between Lorong Bukit Pantai and Lorong Bukit Pantai 4, due to a landslide in Taman Weng Lock.
Last December, the current Kebun-Kebun Bangsar site was also struck by a landslide, but Ng denied it was related to the work being carried out there.
“When they shifted to the other side (new site), my friends and I from Bukit Bandaraya supported the greening of the area. But it was very clear at that point in time it was only a kebun (garden). There was no question of animals, and I emphasised that ‘if you’re going to do anything, always get consent’,” said M. Ali.
I’m very particular about being a community-based person. My first and foremost concern is the community, the local community in the area is the priority. They have a right to live in peace.
“Having cows and goats (there), would you like to have them living in your own backyard? We must review (their complaints). Now he (Ng) has not only involved just the residents but is bringing people from everywhere else to visit the place.”
He added that opposing residents have been subjected to online shaming, abuse and insults, and have even received threats on social media.
He also slammed politicians for allegedly ignoring the residents’ complaints.
“I’m surprised that silly politicians, being politicians, don’t look at this matter with depth, they also want to politicise everything.
I’m surprised that even the MP of the constituency has not even checked with the residents. We should ask whether (Lembah Pantai MP) Fahmi Fadzil has visited the immediate residents.
“As an MP, he (Fahmi) should go and check with the residents first whether they are comfortable and okay with it (kebun). It’s simple, even if one resident objects, it has got to be given due weight.”
It should not be a recreational park
J. Suresh, a long-time resident of Taman Weng Lock, said the issue “has gotten out of hand”.
Suresh, who is an electric field technician for a local utility company, and who was one of the residents who opposed the project in 2016, said there were barely any announcements on the proposed project at the time.
He said Taman Weng Lock Rukun Tetangga had made a petition with the support of the majority of some 200 households there.
Suresh also said DBKL and Ng did not initiate engagements with the Taman Weng Lock residents in 2016, but were forced to hold dialogues and town hall meetings after the locals paid several visits to LA21 officials.
He said during the town hall meetings with DBKL’s LA21 officials, none of the garden’s representatives addressed the neighbourhood.
“Some residents voiced out about Kebun-Kebun Bangsar leaders not really talking to them during the meetings, which shows the actual level of community engagement. Although Datuk M. Ali was supportive of Kebun-Kebun Bangsar being in our neighbourhood, he had asked the operators to relocate the site away as residents were not happy about it.”
Suresh noted he was relieved that the garden was moved away from his area, but he felt sympathy for those currently living nearest to the current site.
“If you pass through the main road on weekends, it is congested due to people visiting the garden, at the expense of the privacy and security of the immediate neighbours,” he told The Vibes.
Suresh, whose background is in electrical engineering, said high-voltage pylons are not ideal spaces to have wide-scale community activities as they are “hazardous”.
Certain weather conditions can trigger static electricity strikes that can cause serious injuries, or even death. I would not advise people to bring visitors, especially children there, as it would be putting them in harm’s way. TNB always has signboards warning people against activities near power lines, including in Kebun-Kebun Bangsar.”
Another resident, who only wanted to be identified as Rick, said DBKL’s eviction reversal has set a bad precedent, adding that those who complained about the garden were told off by netizens, with some telling the residents to move elsewhere.
“No one will respect the law after this, and it sets a bad example that allows anyone to breach agreements without any consequence.”
He added that the TNB site was already a “calm” and “serene” green lung before the garden came about.
“I discourage my friends from bringing their children there. They should go to a petting zoo or real zoo if they want to see animals and visit places like Lake Gardens or FRIM (Forest Research Institute Malaysia) if they want to experience proper greenery.
“God forbid that any child is on the site if there is any landslide or lightning. Who will answer for any incident like that? Will DBKL or Kebun-Kebun Bangsar take responsibility?”
Rick – who runs a food business – said supporting arguments on food security and environmentalism are moot, as the food grown at the garden is not scalable for mass use, and irrelevant to conservation efforts.
“The project started with good intentions but, at the end of the day, it’s just like any other greenwashed development. It’s a showroom for misguided causes.” – The Vibes, August 10, 2022
