Bkt Jalil residents to meet PM’s special officer again

PUTRAJAYA: Former Bukit Jalil estate workers, who are in a tug-of-war with the government over the last two years, will meet Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s special officer Ravin Ponniah at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) tomorrow in an effort to reach an amicable solution to their problem.

Bukit Jalil estate workers committee treasurer K Balakrishnan said this was conveyed to him when he and four other committee members delivered a memorandum to the PMO this morning.

It is learnt that Najib had offered a low-cost flat and an additional RM35,000 to each family of the former estate as compensation as the land they are staying has been earmarked for development. The offer was RM9,000 more than the previous offer by the government.

However, the estate committee representing 250 members from 41 families are not happy with the latest government offer.

“The fundamental issue here is not about money but the land which we have been staying for more than four generations,” Balakrishnan told reporters when met outside the PMO.

Ex Bt Jalil tappers to continue fight for housing land

After a month of waiting patience is running thin for former workers of Ladang Bukit Jalil awaiting a response from Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to their demand for four acres of land there.

So, their Ladang Bukit Jalil action committee has decided to remind him of their demand for feedback, failing which on the 10th of every month "the committee will go to the Prime Minister's Office to remind the PM that their problems remain unsolved".

"There is already a feeling that their previous meeting (with Najib) was just drama without a solution, for we fear that if this problem is not solved during or after the elections, there would be evictions or demolitions like we had seen before," said Parti Sosialis Malaysia secretary and social activist S Arutchelvan (2nd from right in photo) at a press conference today in front of the estate.

On May 30, the former estate workers had "occupied" Putrajaya, hoping to meet Najib to press their demand for alternative housing land.

Their hopes rose when the premier responded to their calls on July 10, however, he could only promise no eviction threats against them until he arrived at decision on their housing woes but could do nothing about their demand for land.

Ex-estate workers to knock on Najib’s door

PETALING JAYA: Tired of waiting for a reply, former Bukit Jalil estate workers are planning to meet Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak at his office in Putrajaya on Friday.

Bukit Jalil estate committee treasurer K Balakrishnan said he had delivered a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) this morning of their intention.

“We’re thankful that Najib met us on July 10 to hear our demands but a month has passed with no reply. So the committee will go to PMO on Aug 10 to get an answer,” he said.

The 41 families living in the former estate area are embroiled in a tussle with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) after the latter tried to evict them.

The land is slated to be turned into a Muslim burial ground. Subsequently, the residents took their case to the High Court and the Court of Appeal but lost their legal battle.

The residents demanded that DBKL allocate four acres of land to build low cost houses.On May 30, the residents camped outside PMO to get Najib to intervene on the matter.

A day later, the gathering was a called off after P Ravin, a special officer to Najib, promised that the premier would meet them to hear their grouses.

Najib met the committee on July 10 and promised to find a solution to their predicament.
Balakrishnan said although he only wanted to deliver a letter today at the PMO, he claimed that he was treated rudely by an officer at the security post known only as Vijay.

He also alleged that when he asked to meet any of Najib’s special officers to deliver the letter, Vijay had told him off saying no one was working in the PMO today.

“Najib wants our ‘nambikai’ (trust) but is this how you treat someone who comes to your doorstep,” said Balakrishnan who eventually managed to hand over the letter to an officer.


Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/08/08/ex-estate-workers-to-knock-on-najibs-door/

Ex-Bukit Jalil estate workers to meet PM on July 10

Former Bukit Jalil estate worker families will get their long sought-after meeting with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on July 10, next Tuesday.

The families have sent numerous letters requesting Najib’s help since 2011, but have never received any final word on their situation.

Finally, after camping outside the Prime Minister’s Office for two days in May, they were promised a meeting with the prime minister himself.

The meeting’s date was subsequently confirmed in a phone call from the PMO, said Ladang Bukit Jalil action committee treasurer K Balakrishnan when contacted by Malaysiakini.

A letter was sent to the PMO yesterday to request that the residents be allowed to send five representatives, but their request was declined in another phone call today.

Only three residents will be allowed to represent the group, and Parti Sosialis Malaysia secretary-general S Arutchelvan will not be allowed to take part in the proceedings, said Balakrishnan.

They had wanted Arutchelvan to act as an adviser to the group during the meeting, but the PMO objected to his presence on the grounds that he was not one of the residents.

However, Balakrishnan is still hopeful that Najib will help resolve their issues, calling on him to emulate his late father and former prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein.

“He is always saying nambikei... We expect our problems to be solved by the prime minister,” he said in reference to their request for four acres of land for housing.

After the estate’s land was acquired by the government in 1980, the families continued working as rubber tappers as the government sold off the land portion by portion to private developers.

Only 26 acres of the original 1,800 acres remain, and the families have been fighting off eviction notices from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) since 2007 as most of them refused the government’s offer of low-cost flats as compensation.

Source : http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/202878

‘Four acres for Deepavali’ campaign launched'

KUALA LUMPUR: The residents of Bukit Jalil launched their “Four Acres for Deepavali” campaign in Brickfields here today.The launching was officiated by Lembah Pantai MP and PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar.

Also present were PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan, Hindraf Makkal Sakthi national coordinator K Balakrishnan, National Interlok Action Team (NIAT) chairman Thasleem Mohamed Ibrahim and Bukit Jalil estate action committee secretary S Thiakarajan.

However, their programme was stopped short by the police who told them not to address the crowd with loudhailers but later allowed them to do so for five minutes.

The 41 families living in the former estate area are currently embroiled in a tussle with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) as the latter is poised to evict them from the land.

Bukit Jalil residents to DBKL: Honour Saravanan’s pledge

KUALA LUMPUR: Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being deputy minister M Saravanan has given the assurance that Bukit Jalil residents will not be evicted from their homes till a settlement has been reached with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).But the residents hope that DBKL will honour Saravanan's directive and reconvene negotiations as possible.Speaking after submitting a letter to DBKL mayor Ahmad Fuad Ismail today, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) secretary-general S Arutchelvan called upon DBKL to honour Saravanan's words.

On Monday, Saravanan had reportedly told a Tamil daily that he had instructed DBKL not to evict the residents until both parties reached an amicable solution.Although the residents lost their case in court, Saravanan told the daily that the government was still deliberating on how to help the residents."Till then, no eviction will take place. The residents can stay there in peace," Saravanan told the daily.

Another blow for Bukit Jalil estate residents

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today struck out a suit brought by Bukit Jalil estate residents against Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) for using the Emergency Ordinance to evict them from their homes.
The decision was yet another blow to the residents as yesterday, the Court of Appeal upheld a High Court decision in May not to grant an interim inter-parte injunction to the residents.The 41 families living in Bukit Jalil estate have been at loggerheads with DBKL since the latter issued eviction notices to the residents in March under Emergency Ordinance.

The residents argued that the Emergency Ordinance could only be used to evict squatters, not former estate workers.The residents' lawyer, Ragunath Kesavan, said Justice Zabariah Mohd Yusof struck out the suit in her chambers today on the grounds that they had filed the suit against the wrong party."Though DBKL is planning to destroy their homes, Zabariah said it was the wrong party for the residents to haul to court.
"What the judge is effectively saying is that estate workers have no rights in this country and that their grouses mean nothing to the court," said Ragunath.

Bukit Jalil estate folk lose appeal

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal today dismissed an appeal for an injunction by 41 families living in Bukit Jalil estate against Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), which plans to demolish their homes.In a unanimous decision, the court comprising Justices Zainun Ali, Ramly Ali and Zaharah Ibrahim upheld the High Court’s decision in May not to grant the injunction, without cost.The 41 families living in the former estate area were issued eviction notices in March under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) by DBKL.

However, the residents argued that the EO can only be used against squatters, not former estate workers.They then took their case to the Kuala Lumpur High Court and obtained an ex-parte interim injunction against DBKL, pending trial.However, in May, the court dismissed the residents’ application after a hearing, saying that DBKL had the authority to evict them using the EO.Subsequently, the residents filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal, which then issued an ex-parte interim injunction, pending a trial.

The unfortunate ones of Ladang Bukit Jalil

PETALING JAYA: There is something whimsical about Ladang Bukit Jalil. The houses still have chimneys, and the roads that lead to these homes look like something out of an Enid Blyton book. The houses are simple, but spacious and sitting inside one of them will make you oblivious to the scorching heat. It seems an idyllic, placid place; nothing about it says that the 41 families residing there are in danger of losing their homes.

But today, however, they have chosen fun over fret, forgetting the bulldozers, local authorities and the police, just to mention a few of their daily concerns. Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is invoking the Emergency Ordinance (1969) to evict the 41 families who still reside there, which their lawyer claims is illegal as they are licensed former estate workers.

Bukit Jalil Estate Farmers Hand Memo At Parliament Over Eviction Notice

KUALA LUMPUR, 10 MARCH, 2011: Farmers of Bukit Jalil estate handed a memo to government representatives of Government and Opposition today at Parliament regarding a notice from DBKL asking them to move out from their homes.According to the farmers, they were issued an eviction notice by DBKL on March 1 ordering them to move out in 14 days, or else their houses would be demolished on March 15.

The 14 representatives who represented 41 families and farmers of Bukit Jalil estate were accompanied by PKR vice-presidents Nurul Izzah and Tian Chua, PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar and Shah Alam PAS MP Khalid Samad.All the 14 representatives along with the MPs gathered outside the parliament gate before marching their way into Parliament.

Bukit Jalil folks’ demand can be met

PETALING JAYA: MIC youth chief T Mohan urged the Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being Ministry to give Ladang Bukit Jalil residents the four-acre land they are seeking.Taking a swipe at the ministry’s deputy minister M Saravanan, Mohan said scarcity of land was no excuse to deny the estate workers’ demand.“The government can afford to give away four out of the 26 acres of land City Hall has acquired for development, in recognition of their (the residents’) contribution to nation-building,” said Mohan.

MB: Bkt Jalil residents’ demand impractical

SHAH ALAM: Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim feels that the residents in Ladang Bukit Jalil are getting a reasonable offer from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).At a press conference today, Khalid, who is also Bandar Tun Razak MP, however called on DBKL to be more humane when dealing with the residents. Bukit Jalil falls under the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary constituency.“The placement and the monetary offer made by DBKL are quite reasonable as it is well above any normal compensation offered by others,” said Khalid.

Bkt Jalil residents warn DBKL of legal action

KUALA LUMPUR: Ladang Bukit Jalil residents are planning to file an injunction to stop the City Hall (DBKL) from evicting them on March 15.At a press conference here, their legal adviser Fadiah Nadwa Fikri said a letter has been despatched to DBKL demanding an explanation over the eviction notice sent on March 1.“We have given them 48 hours to respond. If there is no reply by tomorrow, we will go to court to get an injunction against them,” added the Lawyers for Liberty coordinator.

On March 3, the 41 families of the estate lodged a police report against Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being Minister Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin and mayor Ahmad Fuad Ismail after receiving the eviction notice.They claimed that the notice was illegal as it did not indicate under which regulation the eviction would take place.The latest eviction notice came after Nong Chik met the residents on Feb 23 and announced that DBKL would only offer RM23,000 each to those who had worked in the rubber estate for more than 15 years and RM11,000 for the rest as compensation.

RM23,000 offer: ‘Take it or leave it’

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has given the Bukit Jalil estate residents one week to decide whether to accept its new offer of RM23,000 each to move out of their homes.Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin said the new offer was the best the government could do for the plantation workers.The new offer is more than the RM5,000 previously offered by the government as compensation for having to move out.“My ministry and the Human Resources Ministry have decided that the Bukit Jalil residents will be moved to a new place regardless of whether they accept or refuse the new offer.“This is the government’s final decision and there will be no more ‘bargaining’ with the residents.

Bukit Jalil folk to seek Najib's intervention

PETALING JAYA: Eight families of Bukit Jalil estate, facing imminent eviction by DBKL, are hoping for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to resolve their predicament. The residents are planning to submit a memorandum tomorrow to the Prime Minister's Department seeking Najib's intervention in their on-going spat with DBKL.S Thiakarajan, the residents' action committee secretary, was hopeful that the premier would take time out to listen to their grouses personally.

Bukit Jalil residents want a better package from DBKL

KUALA LUMPUR: The ongoing saga between residents of Bukit Jalil estate and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) looks set to continue with the residents rejecting the compensation package offered by the latter.The residents want a better housing scheme and a permanent land title for their temple and cemetary. They also want more facilities for the new Tamil school.

Be a little sensitive, DBKL told

KLANG: DAP leader Charles Santiago has urged Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to be more sensitive when handling issues concerning plantation workers.Commenting on the Bukit Jalil estate fiasco, the Klang MP said: “They have lived there for several decades and DBKL should provide them with appropriate compensation before asking them to vacate their houses.”

Minister never said he had 16 meetings with residents

KUALA LUMPUR: Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam did not state that he held 16 meetings with the Bukit Jalil residents, whose houses are slated for demolition, said his press secretary E Sivabalan.He was responding to news reports which quoted a representative of the residents, K Balakrishnan, as saying that the residents had only met the minister once.According to Sivabalan, the minister had told a press conference on Aug 6 that the National Union of Plantation Workers (NUPW) and its representatives had 11 rounds of discussions with the Federal Terri­tories and Urban Well-being Ministry and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and another 16 meetings with officials from the Manpower Department.

Bkt Jalil crisis: PM hits the brakes on bulldozers

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has instructed the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to postpone its demolition of houses in Bukit Jalil until an amicable solution is reached. Yesterday, the former estate workers had submitted a memorandum to the PM's Office, asking for more time to consider the new offer from DBKL.Contacted this afternoon, Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Deputy Minister M Saravanan confirmed the matter.He said Najib, who is currently overseas, had called his boss Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin yesterday and told the minister to defer the demolition.

Bkt Jalil folks want more time, seek PM's help

BUKIT JALIL: The 41 families, whose houses are on the brink of being devoured by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) bulldozers, have turned to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for help.This morning, the residents submitted a memorandum to Najib's office in Putrajaya, requesting for more time to decide on a new offer made by DBKL.After living and working in the Bukit Jalil estate for decades, the residents felt that DBKL's three-day grace period to them to make such an important decision was simply unfair.