KUALA LUMPUR – As the Kg Sg Baru land acquisition turns a year old, one resident cannot even find solace in prayer as she faces the bleak prospect of losing her home to a mammoth redevelopment project.
Plagued by fears of eviction over the past year, Nor Mahizan, 57, bemoans how the uncertainty of whether their protests will bring about a positive end has made it difficult for her to sincerely perform her obligations as a Muslim.
I cannot focus on my prayer due to all the stress and anxiety we are going through, but I still do it (pray) because of my faith,” she told The Vibes.
Nor Mahizan has called Kg Sg Baru here her home for more than 30 years.
On June 21 last year, the government issued residents here a Section 8 gazette under the Land Acquisition Act 1960 that confirmed their greatest fear – their land will be taken from them.
Led by developer Ritzy Gloss Sdn Bhd, the Kg Sg Baru redevelopment project will see eight blocks of low-cost flats and more than 60 terrace houses torn down to make way for a mixed development consisting of luxury condominiums, commercial units, and apartment blocks.
Nor Mahizan deplored how the acquisition threw a wrench in her retirement plans as she and her husband had hoped to spend their golden years in the familiar comfort of Kg Sg Baru, which is where they have spent most of their years.
“I don’t need a big house, I just want to be with my friends and community,” she said, adding that the nearby mosque, hospital, and other amenities were more than enough for her.
Expressing a similar sentiment was resident Norsiah Sukaruman, 62, who is used to the accessibility of the neighbourhood, a stone’s throw away from the iconic Saloma Link and public transportation routes.
She added that the hard-earned money spent on renovating her home – which she has been living in since infancy – has “gone to waste”, with the gazette rendering all efforts to upgrade the home inconsequential.
“We remodelled our house because we thought it would be our ‘forever place’. How were we to know that the government would try to take (it) away?” she asked, visibly disappointed and frustrated at the situation.
Echoing this was Lily Suzana, 53, who questioned the government’s “cold-hearted” decision to evict residents, a majority of whom have lived there for generations and did not appreciate the sudden push to relocate elsewhere.
She also took aim at politicians who she claimed turned a blind eye to their plight as many stand to lose their childhood homes.
Calling on Titiwangsa MP Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun to take heed of their grievances as they are her constituents, she said the minister should be embarrassed since MPs from other areas are showing up and upstaging her.
Where is Rina? If even (former federal territories minister) Khalid Samad can listen to us and try to help, how can she just go missing?”
Previously, residents told The Vibes that they had held a meeting with the developer and Rina a few years ago.
“We trusted the government and did not think that they would do this to us,” said Lily, accusing the developer and authorities of treating the elderly kampung residents disingenuously to enforce an “unfair” deal.
“They only do it because we are nobodies. If my father were a Tan Sri, you think they’d do this to us?” – The Vibes, June 21, 2022
Additional reporting by Qistina Nadia Dzulqarnain
