KL land row raises questions over Anwar's urban renewal plan

Concerns that new Act will legitimise forced evictions, favour connected developers

- Hazlin Hassan

Malaysia's plan to redevelop ageing properties in urban areas using a proposed new law has come under a harsh spotlight, following a bitter dispute over land rights, fair compensation and seemingly ruthless evictions in an old Malay settlement near downtown Kuala Lumpur.

The clash on Sept 11 between Malay villagers who refused to leave their homes in Kampung Sungai Baru (New River Village) and the police, who were there to carry out the court-ordered eviction, raises questions over the Anwar administration's proposed Urban Renewal Act (URA), a move meant to rejuvenate old sections in urban neighbourhoods.

The district police chief was left with a bloodied face following the altercation as some villagers resisted eviction, while their supporters tried to break the police cordon around the village. The village, located on 9ha of leasehold land, is being cleared for demolition to build a luxury condominium.

Part of the raised racial tensions over the demolition of Kampung Sungai Baru is its location next to historic Kampung Baru the last large pocket of land owned by Malays in the heart of the capital city. The two areas are actually separate land parcels.

The homes in Kampung Sungai Baru are not on Malay reserve land and were developed in the early 1970s.

Malaysia's opposition and critics of the proposed law have jumped onto the eviction mayhem, saying the new Act will give project developers excessive powers to force home sales and evict those who refuse to move out, thus eroding individuals' property rights.

Mounting public backlash has already led the government to push voting on the proposed law in Parliament to October.

At its heart, the Bill seeks to lower the consent threshold required for the collective sale of strata title properties for redevelopment to 80 per cent.