Abdul Rahim (fifth left) and other residents showing the land plan for Kampung Melayu Majidee in Johor Baru.
Kg Melayu Majidee residents want land converted to freehold to protect against commercial development
OVER 1,000 Kampung Melayu Majidee residents in Johor Baru signed a second petition appealing to change the status of the Malay Reserve Land (TRM) from 99-year leasehold to freehold.
Kampung Melayu Majidee Landowners and Residents Welfare Association (Perkam) president Abdul Rahim Md Shariff said it took about two weeks to gather the signatures.
“We sent a petition in September last year but have yet to get any response,” he told reporters at Kampung Majidee.
“Although Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi had responded to the matter at a state assembly sitting, and local leaders commented to the media – we have yet to get any official documentation.
“Without an official answer, we are in limbo.
“There’s no giving up because we want an answer.”
He said the petition was signed by 1,160 residents.
“If the state government rejects it, we will file an appeal,” he said, adding that over 800 residents signed the first petition that was sent to the Mentri Besar’s office.
Abdul Rahim said five assemblymen had verbally agreed to assist them in bringing the matter up in the upcoming state assembly sitting, which is expected to be held this month.
“We want this issue to be brought to the state assembly and debated so that the state government can grant the residents’ wish for Kampung Melayu Majidee to remain a Malay heritage area within Johor Baru city,” he said.
During the state assembly sitting in May, Onn Hafiz said the state government would never act unjustly by allowing traditional villages to fall victim to development.
Onn Hafiz said leasehold land status granted full ownership rights to the landowners, including the right to inherit, sell and develop the land, subject to existing laws and regulations.
“Recently, seven applications for lease renewal in Kampung Melayu Majidee were approved.
“This is proof of the state government’s commitment to expediting the approval process,” he had said, adding that leasehold status did not amount to encroachment but was a legally recognised form of ownership.
The TRM lease for Kampung Melayu Majidee is scheduled to expire in 2053.
This has raised concerns among residents about their future, including the possibility of the village being developed for commercial purposes.
Perkam submitted a petition and an official application to the Johor Mentri Besar on Sept 8 last year to convert the village’s land status to freehold.
Kampung Melayu Majidee is located in the heart of Johor Baru, covering 730ha.
