Malay village clings onto its city-centre address

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10: In the shadow of Malaysia's soaring twin towers lies a rustic sprawl of wooden houses on stilts, street stalls, low-rise buildings and squawking chickens.

The village of Kampung Baru is an island of traditional Malay life in the middle of Kuala Lumpur, ringed by high-rise buildings and traffic jams, preserved for generations by a colonial-era law that gives village elders a veto over any major development.

It is also one of the most valuable tracts of land in the capital and is estimated to be worth up to 1.4 billion dollar. But so far Kampung Baru elders have turned developers away, saying they want to preserve their ethnic Malay lifestyle.

''It is the quality of life that has to be protected. The land should remain in the hands of the Malays so that village community spirit can still live on,'' said one of the village headmen, Shamsuri Suradi, 55, as he walked through the area.

Colonial British administrators gazetted Kampung Baru as a Malay Agricultural Settlement in 1900 to allow Malays to retain their village lifestyle within the city.

Since then, Kampung Baru has become more than a village; its glaring hold-out against development and modern-city living has turned it into a political symbol of Malay culture.

It already held a special place for Malay politics during the pro-independence movement that grew up after World War Two.

Anti-colonial protests were held there, and founders of Malaysia's dominant political party, the United Malays National Organisation, held their early meetings there.

Kampung Baru, which sprawls over almost a square km, also played a part in bloody racial clashes between Malays and ethnic Chinese in 1969.

The riots started after Chinese-led opposition parties marched through the village to celebrate their good showing in general elections of that year.

In recent years, Kampung Baru also played a central role in the ''Reformasi'' protests of 1998, when former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim launched protests against then premier Mahathir Mohamad, calling for reforms to government and the judiciary.

GOVERNMENT PRESSURE

Despite being steeped in history, Kampung Baru has faced government pressure since the 1970s to sell out and allow developers in. Even among the city's Malay community, it is seen as an eyesore, out of keeping with Kuala Lumpur's modern image.

Wooden houses on stilts jostle for space with shabby shop-houses and stalls. The village has also become a known area for street crime and minor-drug dealing. The government can simply repeal the law that gives Kampung Baru its special status, but knows this would be deeply unpopular with Malay voters. It has always chosen negotiation instead.

The government is now drawing up a fresh proposal to develop Kampung Baru, for consideration by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi.

No details have been released. Previous plans have included compulsory acquisition and relocation for the villagers.

''We are doubtful that this proposal will work but we will look at it with an open mind,'' said another village elder, Roslan Abu, who sits on the village committee that is empowered to veto any major development on the site.

''The government thinks it can just take any Malay land and convert it into whatever they want. We don't want that to happen, we want a proposal that will suit the needs of the Malays here,'' he added.

The government wants to use Kampung Baru's land to bring about a more systematic development to the city centre. It also wants to open the land to Malay-owned property development firms so that property values go up and remain in Malay ownership.

Effectively, land in the village can be bought and sold, but not if the buyer is a developer with plans to build a tower.

''If Kampung Baru's status was removed, commercial property could be conservatively valued at 5 dollars per square foot and residential property could go for dollars per square foot,'' said real estate executive L.H Lim.

LOSING MALAY CHARACTER

A change in the ethnic make-up of Kampung Baru has also added to pressure for development: migrant workers from Indonesia have moved in and younger Malay villagers have moved to the suburbs.

''There is an ageing population that lives on Kampung Baru land and we are the only ones who value the history and tradition of this place. So we should have the right to manage this place,'' said village elder Shamsuri.

Other Kampung Baru landowners such as Astaman Aziz, who owns three plots of land in the area and is also a local member of parliament, feel differently.

''Development and modernisation does not have to lead to a loss of Malay ownership and values,'' said Astaman as he picked his way through the narrow lanes of Kampung Baru, congested with foods stalls ready for the evening breaking of the fast during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

''We need to unlock the value of this place and yet ensure that there is full Malay participation in the development.'' Astaman views the committee of elders as a hindrance and wants the government to remove its veto power.

''They have to be realistic. They can't be there to manage all the time. Development has to happen,'' he said.

REUTERS