KUALA LUMPUR: The Bukit Kiara longhouse resettlement project should serve as an example of how the rights of the people, including the urban poor, can be upheld through lawful processes, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Describing the outcome as a historic milestone, the Prime Minister said the case showed that the urban poor could be protected without their land being taken or homes torn down.
He also pointed to the importance of respecting the rule of law.
“Hopefully, all states and all cities in this country can learn from this experience.
“There must be justice. Not everyone can come and demolish houses or take people’s land,” he said at the groundbreaking of permanent housing development for the Bukit Kiara longhouse residents.
However, the Prime Minister cautioned that the resettlement project does not mean that illegal homes could be put up.
“This does not mean that one can simply occupy land and build squatter houses and then keep demanding rights,” he said.
Anwar said Putrajaya will set aside RM1mil for maintenance, to be managed by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), to ease the cost burden on residents.
He said the government’s role had been to find a fair way to close the matter, after working through questions of residency and old agreements.
The outcome, he said, upheld the rule of law and made sure the poor were not left behind.
“What we promised has been kept.
“The rule of law, looking after the people, the poor not left out, and a fair solution,” he said.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed that the Federal Government would continue to uphold justice for all, regardless of race or social background.
“Whether Malay, Chinese, Indian or any other community, the rights of the people must be protected.
“We cannot be selective when it comes to justice. Justice does not belong to one group alone; it belongs to everyone entitled to it,” he said.
The longhouse families are descendants of rubber tappers moved from the Bukit Kiara Estate in the early 1980s.
They were placed in longhouses meant to last about five years, but have remained on the site for more than four decades.
The Federal Court struck down a high-rise project planned for the area in 2023, after a long campaign by residents to keep the adjoining park.
The Cabinet later agreed to build permanent homes for the families on the existing site.
