No houses, shops or factories in Jinjang Selatan Tambahan, Kepong, will be demolished tomorrow despite a court order requiring the residents, traders and factory operators to vacate.
Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said the decision was reached after he held discussions with several government agencies.
“However, we will wait and see if any legal action will be taken by the tenants involved,” he said in a statement.
Lim also questioned whether the affected families and traders had ever applied for low-cost government housing or were simply waiting for the government to approach them.
“This land is government property and belongs to all Malaysians collectively — it is not meant to be inherited or sublet by a few families,” said Lim.
Residents had been staying in the area since 1969 under a temporary occupation licence (TOL) issued by DBKL. The TOL expired in 1996.
Attempts to renew the TOL in 2004 were unsuccessful, although the residents continued paying assessment rates until 2006.
In July, The Star reported that the settlers, who had been served demolition notices by DBKL, were demanding higher compensation from a developer before they were willing to move out.
DBKL had served them demolition notices in May in line with Section 70 (13)(c) of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 (Act 133) which states that no person can erect a building without the prior written consent of the local authority.
The settlers have been seeking better terms since a mixed development project – a joint venture between DBKL and a private developer – was announced about a decade ago to relocate them.
In 2023, the developer offered shop owners RM5,000 in moving fees and RM5,000 vouchers for purchasing properties worth RM300,000 and above.
Although free houses were provided to more than 300 residents with TOLs, the shop owners were not offered replacement lots.
Those who purchased the properties from the original holders were given the option to buy smaller units for RM42,000.
Residents argued that the RM5,000 compensation was inadequate compared to the current market value of the land, ranging from RM300,000 to RM400,000.
The group’s spokesman said the affected owners should not be treated as squatters as they had paid assessment taxes for decades until DBKL stopped renewing the TOLs in 2006. He urged DBKL to rescind the demolition order until a fair settlement is reached.
