The Tragedy Of Kampung Papan And Kampung Jawa When Development Dispossesses The Poor

---

 
THE houses of villagers in Kampung Papan, Pandamaran, Klang are currently being demolished by a developer (Melati Ehsan Consolidated Sdn Bhd which is a subsidiary of Main Market-listed Melati Ehsan Holdings Bhd).
The police are on site to ensure that the court order in favour of the developer is enforced. A few residents have even been detained by the police for obstructing the demolition.
These families have lived in the area for over three decades with repeated promises of new houses for them.

Except for formal proof of ownership, the residents were practically the rightful owners of their homes.
ADVERTISEMENT
Why the Selangor state government decided to sell this state land to a private developer remains a mystery.
Editor’s Note: As at 1pm today (Nov 14), a total of 23 individuals comprising both activists (from PSM and SUARAM) have been arrested by the police. They are (source: PSM):
Nov 11: Lee Leong Tiong (resident)
Nov 12: Arutchelvan Subramaniam (PSM”s deputy president); Mythreyar; Logeswaran (resident)
Nov 13: Sivaranjani Manickam (PSM); Soh Sook Hwa (PSM); Tan Kah Wae (PSM); Aein Aneera Anuar (PSM); Hridhay Praveen (PSM); Ramasamy Karupan (PSM); Muhammad Fakrurrazzi Khairur Rijal; Wong Kueng Hui; Tan Bing Ai (resident); Sarvin Nathan (resident)
Nov 14: Chong Yee Shan (PSM); Jernell Tan (SUARAM); Than Bee Hooi (resident); Than Kim Kim (resident); Lim Wee Chun (resident); Ser Li Fang (resident); Lim Eng Hui (resident); Teoh Ah Guat (resident); Ng Ban Ping (resident)
‘Homeowners shortchanged’
What is happening to the residents of Kampung Papan is also set to happen soon to the 19 families of Kampung Jawa in Batu Ampat, Klang – two communities not far apart.
Just as the Selangor government failed the residents of Kampung Papan, it seems poised to repeat the same injustice on Nov 24.
The Selangor Land Office has given the Kampung Jawa residents a two-week grace period before eviction to make way for the West Coast Expressway (WCE) linking Banting to Taiping.
In Kampung Papan, the developer obtained a court order to demolish and evict the residents. In Kampung Jawa, it is the state land office – acting in service of the WCE – that issued the ultimatum.
But unlike Kampung Papan, the Kampung Jawa residents are bona fide owners of their land and homes.
The land was acquired by the state a few years ago to facilitate the highway project. While the residents are not opposed to the project itself, the main issue is compensation.

The state government offered RM5.4 mil for the land – excluding the value of the houses. An independent valuer, however, estimated the total value of both land and houses at RM34 mil.
The residents have disputed the state’s compensation offer and filed a court case. Yet, knowing full well that the hearing is scheduled for Dec 3, the state government has sought to pre-empt the legal process by proceeding with the demolition notice.
‘Legitimate owner, not squatters’
In both Kampung Papan and Kampung Jawa, it is clear that the Selangor state government under Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari appears to side with developers and corporations over long-time residents.
The residents of Kampung Jawa are not squatters – they are legitimate owners. Unfortunately, the state treats them as if they were.
Why won’t the Selangor state government wait for the court’s decision before proceeding with demolition? Why was the Kampung Papan land sold to a developer in the first place? These questions demand answers.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should investigate the sale of state land to developers, especially when it jeopardises the lives and future of ordinary families.

Arbitrary land acquisitions, undervalued compensation and the sale of public land to private interests have increasingly tilted development in favour of the rich at the expense of the poor.
Selangor may pride itself as a “developed” state but its development appears deeply unequal.
The tragedies of Kampung Papan and Kampung Jawa reveal a disturbing truth: in today’s Malaysia, neither land ownership nor decades of residence can protect the poor from dispossession in the name of progress.
The bulldozers in Kampung Papan have already reduced decades of life, labour and memories to rubble.
Now, the residents of Kampung Jawa face the same fate – their legitimate ownership rendered meaningless by the unholy alliance between the state and developers.
If land ownership and long-term settlement offer no protection against forced eviction, then the question must be asked: how can the squatter and housing crisis in Selangor – and in Malaysia – ever be resolved when the state itself stands against its people? 
Former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.
- Focus Malaysia.

---