1,097 bumi buyers for Datum Jelatek condo

The damaged hoarding of the Datum Jelatek Project is seen following a demonstration by a group of residents in Taman Keramat, Kuala Lumpur - Azhar Arif/The Star

PETALING JAYA: A total of 1,097 potential bumiputra buyers have registered their interest in the 674 Datum Jelatek condominium units, according to the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS).

Quashing claims that Malays could not afford the luxury units, its general manager Azlan Md Alifiah said in a statement that the bumiputra interest shown in the project had exceeded expectations.

“As of Jan 14, 2015, the project received overwhelming support and so far, a total of 1,097 bumiputra buyers have registered and this far exceeded the number of units available,” he said.

On Sunday, hundreds of people protested against the construction of the Datum Jelatek luxury condominium in Keramat. They broke into the construction site of the project, tearing down the zinc hoardings placed around it.

The protesters, led by Datum Jelatek action committee chairman Salleh Samad, claimed that the project would not benefit the Malays, as the RM700,000 per unit condomi­nium, developed by Datumcorp International (DCI), was beyond their reach.

Salleh claimed that the project would allow the non-Malays to reside in the “100% Malay” area, a situation that he said the Malays in the area were not prepared to accept.

Azlan said yesterday they would initiate legal action against the “irresponsible quarters” who had caused damage to public pro­perty and vandalism at the site.

“What happened is a disappointment as the demonstration, which was otherwise peaceful, turned violent when some indivi­duals destroyed the hoardings.

“We are looking at this matter seriously and legal action will be taken against those involved. DCI has also lodged a police report on the matter,” said Azlan.

On allegations that PKNS had never met with residents on the project, he said, both the state subsidiary and DCI had held several meetings with Taman Keramat residents.

“We have organised meetings and dialogues with the residents and we even received positive feedback from them,” he added.

Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali said public opinion had been gathered and necessary measures had been taken in line with the feedback received.

“The development in Jalan Jelatek is not something that has just been proposed and we’ve had dialogue sessions several times,” he told reporters after attending the monthly morning meeting for state employees.

Commenting on the way the demonstration went, he said “any development in Selangor must not be mired in racial sentiments”.

“Although we have a quota system (in deve­lopmental projects), this must not be used as a sentiment that can prevent Selangor’s deve­lopment,” he said.

Azmin also questioned if the other demon­strators, apart from Salleh, were residents from the area.

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