Kuala Lumpur’s new dawn

HAPPY 52nd birthday Kuala Lumpur!

Established as the first Federal Territory of Malaysia on Feb 1, 1974, KL is of course, much older than that. This “muddy confluence,” founded in 1857, evolved from a small tin-mining settlement to the city I call home – a dense, bustling metropolis of more than two million people.

KLites love to moan and complain about the state of our city but deep down we do feel a sense of pride. Even more so as the eyes of the world were on us in October when world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, visited our capital as the country hosted the Asean Summit.

Kuala Lumpur is recognised as one of the most affordable options in Asia. In fact, with an estimated 17.3 million tourist arrivals last year, KL is in the top ten of most visited cities on the planet.

And this year is shaping up to be a big one for KL. Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) is expected to bring a record number of tourists and the city will be a focal point for our tourism objectives.

As we are on the cusp of FT Day, it is timely for me to congratulate the new FT Minister on her appointment.

We have a new head honcho of the city on board and I believe Hannah Yeoh’s appointment will ultimately prove to be a good one. She endured a rollercoaster spell helming the Youth and Sports Ministry and while I have criticised her in the past I think she should be given a chance to make a difference.

As Segambut MP, Yeoh has proven that she is quite knowledgeable on issues facing Kuala Lumpur and has championed residents’ rights and wants.

It will not be easy. She is the first non-Malay in this position, and the government faced a backlash over her appointment. The proposed Urban Renewal Act that will affect KL’s development is now on the back burner but lots of other challenges remain.

As the adage goes, with great power comes great responsibility. As FT Minister, she will indeed have a monumental task ahead as the nation’s capital comes squarely under her purview.

Expectations are high given that the city is evolving, not just from an infrastructure perspective, but more importantly, the demands and vagaries of KLites.

Capital growth: Kuala Lumpur is primed for another year of progress. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star

Gone are the days when a top-down approach works. As a bustling international metropolis, KLites and Malaysians expect, and dare I say, demand, a great deal more from DBKL and the governing local authorities.

Encouragingly, Yeoh seems to have said and done the right things in her first six weeks on the job since she took over in mid-December.

Dismissing criticism of her appointment, she said she should be judged on her work rather than her ethnicity and urged the private sector and professional associations to collaborate with authorities to improve public facilities in the city.

I have always advocated that KL’s elected representatives should play a bigger role in the management and running of City Hall, and that is exactly what Yeoh has done now.

All future development proposals in KL must consider input from local MPs before being submitted to local authorities for consideration and approval.

“The practice of allowing development projects to proceed without prior knowledge of elected officials must stop,” she said, adding that the move would improve accountability and transparency by involving MPs in managing and planning for the capital.

Significantly, with Ramadan around the corner, bazaar traders in Kuala Lumpur this year can rejoice as they only need to pay a maximum of RM400 to rent bazaar lots. This move will go some way into cutting out the rampant subletting and excessive profiteering which have been prevalent in the last few years.

As a KL resident and taxpayer, I would like to give some advice to the minister.

KL needs development. Landowners have the right to develop but everything must be done within the law, judiciously and above all fairly, both for the community and the developer.

The city needs most urgent, real, effective flood mitigation efforts. Let’s fix the basics before building more. Make sure rubbish, roads and drainage actually work first. Stop piling on projects when the city cannot cope.

Look after the people already living here. Do not push residents out or make life more expensive just to build something new. Homes should stay affordable and liveable.

And as it is VM2026, please improve signage for tourists. Attractions like Carcosa, Taman Tugu and the refurbished Sultan Abdul Samad building are tourist magnets. Signages should show walking distances between them.

City Hall has a whopping RM2.8bil budget at its disposal and this must be better managed. We hope that the new FT Minister, with significant resources at her disposal, can provide tangible initiatives that will have a positive impact on our capital city.