Kampung Tanjung Tokong residents are opposing a RM1 billion “mixed development” project managed by Uda Holdings that could affect their 200-year-old settlement.
Photo courtesy of Wartawan Rasmi Laman Reformasi
This project is clearly a legacy of BN rule, but how will the Pakatan administration handle it?
According to the residents association chairman, Mohd Salleh Yahaya, the village once had over 500 houses. Some of these households were relocated to the Tanjung Tokong flats before the project stalled in the 1990s – only to be revived now.
The kampung was down to 310 houses. Later, 45 households were resettled in transit housing not far from Island Plaza after being convinced by Uda promises.
The remaining 265 or so houses will be affected in phases by the Uda project.
So far, 60 of the 310 households have received a compensation offer of a flat measuring 800-850 sq ft.
“Uda does not want to engage in direct negotiations with the village committee but instead prefers to negotiate with the local Umno and a friendly village group,” lamented Salleh, when contacted.
Classic developer’s divide-and-rule tactics.
“Cikgu Salleh”, as he is better known, had turned up to express solidarity with the Buah Pala villagers during one of the demolition attempts.
Like the Buah Pala villagers, these villagers just want to protect and preserve their traditional settlement, which is home to over a thousand families.
Tanjong Tokong village is definitely older than the Malaysian government thus making it clearly illogical for the villagers to be declared “squatters”. Living Fettes Park, and having grown up near the village, I must admit that I feel very sad that this last vestige of our history is about to go the way of Kg Buah Pala. Why is it necessary to increase density by populating an entire area that is already suffering from bottle-neck traffic jams. For every unit of apartment built, some 4 car parks will need to be built. How on earth can our roads take it. The villagers of Tg Tokong must be told that they are not alone in their struggle against unbridled greed. I suggest that they join forces with other NGOs to push for more regulation on real-estate development. Developers too should take an active role in being more responsible. Meanwhile, the State government must take a stand on this issue – more density equals less votes! It is as simple as that!
Neil Khor
Tg Bungah
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I heard the interview, he said he DID NOT oppose the project. The villagers just want details of the settlement and beneficiary list ironed out.
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Kepada Anil
Adakah kes ini sama seperti Kg Buah Pala?
Sila ceritakan lebih tentang kes ini.
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It’s interesting. You have a bunch of people claiming that their land have been grabbed, and then holding up a banner requesting help from the person whose party is doing the grabbing. And then other people comes along and ask how the State Govt can help. It boggles the mind.
Surely, if I’m the residents, the better way to do it would be to work with the State Govt to prepare the best strategy going forward. Then again, perhaps that’s already been done. Perhaps the land belongs to the Federal Govt, and the Federal Govt refuses to talk. I won’t be surprised.
Having said all that, it’s not clear what the residents want. If you look at the banner, it seems they are asking for the PM’s help. To get what ? Not clear. Perhaps a negotiating tactic to obtain higher compensation ? Don’t know. It as if someone breaks into your house to steal your stuff and then you hold up a banner asking the guy to give it back. Then again, there could be other forces at work in the background.
By the way, I grew up in Fettes Park … about 15 mins walk from that kampung.
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Honestly.. IMHO.
It’s better PR gov to stay away and just support this from far away. Instead of direct involve in it.
You know why? Because if PR gov involved directly, the effect will be on villagers. Since the BN gov will never ever give a face to Rakyat with PR support.
And to participate this.. I don’t know .. If I was the villagers.. Im gonna ask directly BN gove.
Wth is your ketuanan Melayu. Hidup melayu?
Urgh.. its hurt.. still racism related btw.
The realiti one..that’s all about.
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Land already gone? Same rule applies; except this one hasn’t gone to the courts. If they have a court order or judgment, then there is little room for maneuver. Which side will UMNO support; the developer (via the courts) or the squatters’ votes? Previously, they would have sold out the villagers for a pittance, but the electoral canvas this time around is entirely different. UMNO and BN is under siege in Penang, and wants to paint such episodes as being engineered by PR (they have enough support on the ground it seems).
But cultural village argument can be junked from the outset. I thought it is the state’s call not the Federal government?
This does show KBP villagers received a better offer than these villagers….
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Best Advise to LGE and team… Stay Out & just back them without taking centerstage. Put the monkey back on the BN has-beens including KTK and the rest. Be a smart guy, not try to be a good guy.
Cos’ what ever LGE does, the residents will take the anger out on PR State Govt if they don’t get what they ask for.
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Anil,
Well, I know what you are going to say about this. Laissez faire. Just like Kowloon Walled City. Leave it to the nature. Righto, Anil Netto
Anil,
UDA has been stalling the project only to revive now. May i suggest to go the Singapore’s way? BUILD PUBLIC HOUSING JUST LIKE TOA PAYOH IN SINGAPORE. LGE & Co can come down to HDB HUB in Toa Payoh & see how PAP develop the first brand new HDB township
How about that? Penang need to go the Singapore way to suceed
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Jebat Musibat & K
The issue here is NOT politics but social justice for the villagers. Hard core and fanatical PR supporters such as yourselves only concerned about preservating Pakatan’s image and support base. Please be reminded that PR is no longer in Opposition but they are the rulling govt. Please also be reminded that land are state mattter and the CM cannot again wash his hands over the issue.
If LGE cannot handle and solve the issue, then he better pack up…
I am sad that yet another part of Penang is being destroyed. I think we now beginning to see the real and true colour of DAP. First it was KBP and now Kg Tanjung Tokong being wiped off the face of the earth. On the other hand the messy, dirty squatters of Chew Jetty and other clans Jetties being declared as “heritage” and even promoted as key tourist attraction.
I think it is a foregone conclussion that what will happen to KTT. It will follow the dinosaur, Dodo and KBP into the dustbins of history.
As for KBP, it might have fallen but it will live on. KBP will be the battle cry against this inhumane state govt of LGE in the next GE.
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I am not sure what I am to say is relevant, and Anil, if it doesn’t get publish I understand. With kbp and now tg tokong earmarked for development some anti-development readers may lean towards socialism to argue the case for the villagers. My story goes like this …
An economics professor at a college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before but had once failed an entire class.
That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.
The professor then said, “OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.
The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.
As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.
The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when THE REWARD IS TAKEN AWAY, no one will try or want to succeed.
Could Not Be Any Simpler Than That.
“You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for,that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”
~~~~ Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931
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Philip,
I have never considered Anil Netto as a Socialist. He can be considered as Naturalist or Anarchist. (Anil, nothing wrong being an anarchist but you definitely one of them. Anarchist is no terrorist. They just don’t believe in any form of government. Anarchist believe keeping things as it were. They are individualists. Kowloon Walled City residents are good example of anrchism)
True socialist would be like the Early days of Singapore under PAP. Land Acquisition Act used regular against squarters, landowners, farmers so that those land confiscated for Public development. One of them is Public Housing. The one found in S$10 note.
Philip,
You see when Goh Kheng Swee saw residents in Kereta Ayer/Chinatown staying rundown buildings. Some of them share underwear. He decided to bulldoze through by acquiring land for development. Jurong is one good example. People need JOBS! JOBS! JOBS! IT’S ECONOMY, STUPID! SHELTER, FOOD, INCOME. That’s TRUE socialism.
Don’t be fooled by Singapore government saying that they practise free market. Temasik Holdings, Singapore GIC are very strong there. Money earned & redistributed. CPF collected & used to fund HDB flats. That’s a real socialism that works well. And because DAP originated from PAP in which DAP’s founder’s Devan Nair, NTUC first supremo…….You see what sort of Penang would become 10 – 15 years down the road
A democratically socialist state! State Benefit (1.5 million Penangites) comes first….
Philip,
In this case, I say sack or armtwist UDA in building a Public Housing township. Modelled after Toa Payoh.
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I wonder if the Penang state government got itself embroiled in this mess would come out a “WINNER” whatever the outcome.
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Dear Anil,
People keep on saying “Land is a state matter”. BUT if the Federal Govt grabbed a piece of state land, is it still a “state matter” ? To me, it is not a “state matter” anymore. It is a “Federal Govt” matter. Whoever wants to get the land back should fight the Federal Govt. That’s common sense, isn’t it ?
Ok now, how to fight to get it back ? Some people say the state should “acquire it”, i.e. pay to get it back. Now, it’s like saying, say someone breaks into your house and steals your TV, and you now put the word out that you are willing to buy it back from the guy. Doesn’t make sense, does it ?
We should find a way to take back the land from the Federal Govt and let the people of Tg Tokong, AND the people of Penang, decide what to do with it. This is the way it should be ! The people of Penang would agree with this way.
But if you have a group of people putting up a banner asking the PM (of all people) for “help”, what is the message ? What does the people of Penang think of this ?
Seems like no matter what villagers do, many among the public would find fault with them. If they ask the state government for help, many would say why don’t they ask the BN/federal government since the feds are responsible for this. But if they ask the federal government, people will ask why are they asking the feds for help? – Anil
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so, where… is Ali …? where is … Ismail?
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K,
As you said, the issue here is not politics but social justice for the residents so why are you playing politics here? You agenda seems to be bashing the PR govt, not social justice and you’ve already started by bashing LGE even before the state govt has uttered a word. I find your attitude sickening. You are obviously unable to write few sentences without bashing PR. If you want to want to campaign for BN then please go to a political site instead of polluting Anil’s blog under the guise of social justice for Kg Buah Pala or Tg Tokong.
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K speaks with ill intentions. He wants his beloved xronies of gerakan to come back. K-sure but dream on
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Stupid it is ecomony! At this stage of recession, the UDA want to revive the project. Only to have it abandoned again after demolished the villages. What are this state government try to achieve? The state government can not operate in such a way, just to allow any so called DEVELOPMENT to take place without weighting on the viability of the project and the right of housing and living of the villagers. This DAP state government is digging it’s own grave, thinking that the people can be fooled just the way BN did!
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Ong Eu Soon, UDA or Urban Development Authority, was established by the Federal Govt in 1971. It was incorporated in 1996, becoming UDA Holdibgs Sdn Bhd. The State Govt is not involved.
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1. Land IS a state matter.
2. Don’t you guys learn this in school?
3. Go back and read what are the power reserved for the STATE govt and what are the power reserved for the federal govt.
4. In this issue, the STATE (DAP govt) is clearly responsible for it.
5. If LGE just throw up his hand and say I just want to stay away then he is acting VERY AMATEURISH and VERY IRRESPONSIBLE. …
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Anil,
By the way, Tanjong Tokong residents have already accepted the compensation in principle. It’s far lesser than what KBP folks are getting.
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Ong Eu Soon and K is just empty vessel(up there) trying to make noise.
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People,
Watch Yes Minister. The Right to Know. Extremely relevant to all going on in Anil’s blogs
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o_9sY-UE9U&feature=related
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VetqtFpI8XM&feature=related
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_oQv2M01YM&feature=related
Anil,
It also exonerate LGE’s government from the so called KBP issue
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looes74
I don’t think Penangites want the kind of development that Singapore has pursued. Singapore had managed to blend the worse of East and West to produce a mongrel that is while materialistically developed but seriously underdeveloped democratically and socially.
rajan / ivan ho : let’s not get personal and waste time, space and energy. add to the debate and not add hatred.
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Dear Anil,
My apologies. When I saw your report above, my immediate reaction was “what the hell is happening here ?” I sort of sensed that it’s developing into another case of Pakatan-bashing and I felt moved to post a quick response.
However, after reading it through and looking at the photo again, as I understanding it now, the UDA project has been shaping up for some years now and that a certain percentage of residents have (perhaps happily) accepted the compensation and moved on, whereas the remaining group is now in the midst of negotiating with the UDA. Out of this group, there are some who don’t want to negotiate with UDA and instead wants to have direct contact with the PM.
So I would say the residents are entitled to negotiate with whoever they want to negotiate with. The rest of us have no right to tell them what to do. However, if their rights are trampled by the Feds, then the people of Penang and the State govt of Penang, should rise to the ocassion and help obtain “justice” for them (if they so wish). This is exactly as it happened in KBP where the state govt squeezed the hell out of the developer and got the best possible compensation for the residents.
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ghkok
I fell of my chair reading your post saying “This is exactly as it happened in KBP where the state govt squeezed the hell out of the developer and got the best possible compensation for the residents.” !!
Surely you must be a professional comedian to come up with such outrageously funny ounch line.
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