WITH little time left before the developer begins hoarding the site and demolishing the remaining terrace houses, former residents of Kampung Sungai Baru, Kuala Lumpur, were seen slowly moving out the last of their belongings on Sunday.
Among the piles of broken wood, glass and twisted metal, 53-year-old Saiful Azhar Ibrahim carefully picked through the rubble of what was once his family home.
The house, already missing its doors and windows, was strewn with rubbish. Saiful Azhar said he had returned to salvage what was left of his past.
It was a quiet morning, a stark contrast to the chaos five days earlier when police and court bailiffs moved in to enforce a long-awaited eviction order.
“We had to leave in a hurry when the police came. I want to save what I can,” he said as he sifted through the debris.
Saiful Azhar rescuing his son’s toy car from his family home.
From the ruins, he rescued a watercolour painting by his late father from 1985, a photo of the Kaaba from the 1990s and a blue toy car belonging to his three-year-old son.
Saiful Azhar was among the few residents who refused to sign the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the developer, taking the fight to court.
He was eventually paid almost RM1mil for the value of his home as compensation, which he shared with two other siblings.
The eviction marked the culmination of nearly eight years of negotiations, disputes and legal action over the redevelopment, which was first announced in 2016.
While 72% of residents agreed to the plan and moved out, a small group of holdouts, including Saiful Azhar, argued that the government’s compensation undervalued their land.
Despite objections, the government invoked Section 8 of the Land Acquisition Act 1960 in June 2021, formally acquiring the land.
In contrast, Mohd Adam Abdul Aziz, 62, heaved a sigh of relief that the redevelopment was finally moving forward.
Adam, an early signatory to the MOU, owned a corner terrace lot valued at RM900,000 in 2017.
“The developer offered me six units in the new development worth RM5.8mil.
A scrap metal contractor surveying what can be salvaged from a partially demolished house. — Photos: YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
“Others received three units worth about RM2.8mil,” he said.
He added that those who agreed did not have to pay anything.
“The developer even gave us RM5,000 to vacate the premises.
“I chose the rental option instead of a transit home, and they have been paying me since.
“I have been living in Subang Jaya for almost eight years and cannot wait to return to Kampung Baru. It’s been too long,” Mohd Adam said.
For the majority of residents, the eviction clears the last hurdle before they can move into their new homes with modern facilities.
The redevelopment covers 3.2ha and replaces 328 homes, 64 terrace lots and 264 flats across eight PKNS blocks, which were over 50 years old.
Negotiations ran from 2016 to October 2020 through briefings, engagement sessions, mobile units, legal consultations and an on-site office to secure owners’ consent.
Under the joint-venture deal, the developer offered replacement units measuring 969sq ft or 1,200sq ft, plus a signing payment, moving costs, ex-gratia for renovations, rental allowance or transit housing, and a cash top-up for terrace owners where needed.
Flat owners were each offered one replacement unit valued between RM884,000 and RM1mil, while terrace owners were offered between three and nine units worth RM2.7mil to RM8.1mil.
A representative of the developer said it was pleased the redevelopment could finally proceed after years of delay, with costs rising to nearly RM200mil.
“We will begin hoarding the area in the next few days,” the representative said, adding that construction was expected to start in the first quarter of 2026.
Once the hoarding goes up, the remaining terrace houses will be demolished, marking the end of an era for Kampung Sungai Baru and the beginning of its transformation into a modern township.
