In the heart of KL, residents face off with developers in Kampung Baru 'gold mine'

For more than a century, Kampung Baru has sat amid the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur, witnessing the transformation of the country's capital from a little-known mining town into a modern city surrounded by some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world.

Its reputation as a "kampung" or village has endured to this day, even as property prices in the area soar to among the highest in Malaysia.

Yet the increase is no surprise as Kampung Baru is only a few minutes away from the Golden Triangle and Kuala Lumpur City Centre – considered the most developed areas in the city where property prices hit over RM1,000 per square foot.

And now, property developers appear to have set their hearts on the enclave, hoping to reap a profit from residential complexes that can be sold at market price.

Residents of Kampung Baru are by and large low- and middle-income earners, and many have willingly accepted the compensation offered by developers, even if these are below the actual value of their property.

Ida, 40, is not one of them. A fourth-generation resident of Kampung Baru, she refused the offer given to her to move out of her parents' flat in order to make way for a luxury condominium project.

Nevertheless, she and other like-minded residents at the Kampung Sungai Baru flats – some 10 families in all – are being forced to relocate.

A recent visit by MalaysiaNow found the area dilapidated and littered with concrete pillars put in place as makeshift barriers.

Rubble from the demolition of empty blocks is everywhere, together with excess soil left from bulldozing work.

Dr Zaliha Mustafa, the minister in charge of the federal territories, previously said the redevelopment of Kampung Sungai Baru would start at the end of the year while construction work would begin in the first quarter of 2025.

MalaysiaNow understands that about 270 residents accepted the developer's compensation offer while 74 rejected it.

Meanwhile, 27 terrace house owners living behind the apartment blocks have agreed to move out while 37 have rejected the compensation offer.

Zaliha said the government approved the project as the majority of residents had agreed to move.

But Ida and the other residents disagree.

Ida said developers had been increasingly eyeing the real estate market in Kampung Baru since the 2013 general election, which saw Johari Abdul Ghani elected as the MP for Titiwangsa, the parliamentary constituency covering the area.

The seat went to Rina Harun of Bersatu in 2018 before returning to Johari in the 2022 general election.

Ida cited PAS MP Dr Lo'lo' Mohamad Ghazali, who died in 2011, as one of the few elected representatives whom she said "really defended Kampung Baru from the developers".

MalaysiaNow has reached out to Johari for a response.

Ida's neighbour, a housewife who asked to be called Mas, questioned the authorities and accused them of not caring about the residents' plight.

She said the arrival of the contractors had also caused resentment among the residents, some of whom had been hostile towards each other.

She said the residents who refused to accept the compensation offer had been vilified by those who agreed to move out.

"As children, we used to play together, walk home from school together and have fun together," Mas told MalaysiaNow.

But now, she said it had reached a point where the residents who refused to move felt threatened.

Mas defended her decision to stay put, saying the price offered by the developer was too low.

Residents are believed to have been offered between RM450 and RM500 per square foot, a proposal involving more than 100 flats and single-storey terrace houses.

Ida said the real estate value in Kampung Baru was very high. And once the planned condominium units are completed, she said, they will be sold for millions of ringgit each.

In contrast, Ida said the compensation for her one-bedroom house would be between RM180,000 and RM200,000.

"How will we be able to find a new place? With this sum, we can't even get a house at an auction. At least give us a sum that's worth it so we can leave all this and never look back."

But MalaysiaNow's conversation with Ida was cut short by screams next door, where Zura and her husband had arrived to check on their house.

The couple was among those who agreed to leave but had left their belongings behind to take with them later.

Upon their return, they realised that their house had been broken into, and that many valuables were missing including a scooter and the four piggy banks containing their children's savings.

"I packed all these things before I left because I wanted to take them with me. It was not like this," said Zura, pointing to the mess caused by the break-in.

Zura earns a living selling biscuits and cakes. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, though, her business had taken a downturn.

She and the other residents have been stressed, worrying over the protracted dispute on the redevelopment of Kampung Baru and what is in store for them ahead.

At night, small explosions can sometimes be heard near the flats, and from time to time, the bars on the flat windows go missing.

Safety concerns aside, the residents must also make do without running water and electricity.

One resident said that sympathetic Air Selangor staff had suggested that they connect the pipes themselves for continued albeit illegal supply of water.

The resident nevertheless asked why the water supply had been cut off in the first place.

"The development order has yet to be issued."

The power supply in the area has also been disconnected, leaving the residents in the dark after sunset.

"When the water and electricity were cut off, a person claiming to be a representative of the developer came smiling  with the police, fire brigade, immigration and Kuala Lumpur City Hall and smiled at us," the resident added.