KUALA LUMPUR – Muda questioned the government’s commitment to ensuring food security and advocating an independent society after a community garden in Bangsar promoting the concept was handed an eviction order.
In a statement today, the party’s Lembah Pantai division said it regretted the action of the Federal Territories Land and Mines Office in issuing a final eviction notice to the popular Kebun-Kebun Bangsar urban farm.
This is in light of how the plot of land is considered a community garden for many public members, and has offered various benefits to the local community in the area, said Muda division chief Shah Fariq Aizal Sha Ghazni.
He added that the garden is also now home to many farm animals that are part of a bigger ecosystem keeping pests under control.
“Is the government today truly committed to the issue of food security and independent community, or is this just one of their populist political rhetorics?
“Is the government in support of the actions taken by its enforcement agencies that are seen to only punish the rakyat and that could affect our food security and plans for independent society?”
Shah Fariq said community projects like Kebun-Kebun Bangsar should instead be encouraged and used as an example for other local communities to emulate.
In an Instagram post yesterday, Kebun-Kebun Bangsar uploaded a copy of the final eviction notice, which ordered the operators of the farm to clear the premises or face action.
This comes just weeks after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob heaped praise on the project.
Responding to criticism, Federal Territories Land and Mines Office director Datuk Muhammad Yasir Yahya said the eviction was issued for alleged violation of its temporary occupancy licence (TOL).
In a statement, Yasir had said that although the government supported such community activities, the farm operators had failed to comply with conditions set under the TOL.
He added that residents living in the vicinity have also complained of nuisances caused by the farm animals.
The site, owned by Tenaga Nasional Bhd and located near Lorong Bukit Pantai, was previously an idle piece of land, but was transformed by Kebun-Kebun Bangsar co-founder and landscape architect Ng Seksan and his team into a garden growing flowers, vegetables, and fruits in 2017.
The harvests of Kebun-Kebun Bangsar were often distributed to the needy, especially during the movement control order. – The Vibes, June 29, 2022
