Pembangunan
By ANITA TAHIR
Kalau tengok dari luar tingkap Menara Celcom tempat aku kerja ni, banyak bangunan tinggi yang boleh aku nampak. Petronas Twin Tower-lah, Suria KLCC-lah, Menara Public Bank-lah, Megan Phileo Avenue-lah, Menara TA-lah dan macam-macam bangunan lagi.
Kenapa orang bina bangunan tinggi? Tempat yang aku tinggal dengan abang aku sekarang ni pun tinggi - tingkat 18. Kalau terjun, mati!
Semalam aku naik teksi pergi kerja, aku borak dengan driver teksi itu masa lalu di kawasan Kampung Baru. Teksi itu mengeluh kerana kecewa dengan keputusan Datuk Bandar Kuala Lumpur untuk “menghapuskan” satu-satunya pusat penempatan orang Melayu di bandar KL ini (Kampung Baru) dan menafikan status tanah rizab bagi orang Melayu hanya kerana untuk memberi laluan bagi pembangunan mega.
Kalau difikirkan, betul juga. Tidak cukup lagi kah Kuala Lumpur ini dengan bangunan-bangunan pencakar langit yang sudah sememangnya cukup MEGA? Tidakkah Datuk Bandar KL memikirkan impak yang akan wujud hasil dari pembangunan yang tidak (atau terlebih) dirancang? Apa lagi yang cuba KL hendak buktikan kepada bandar-bandar (atau luar bandar) lain di negara kita ini?
Sudahlah Flat Pekeliling (yang merupakan salah satu penempatan urban awal di KL) nak dirobohkan hujung tahun ini. Sekarang, nak take-over Kampung Baru pula? Lepas ni mana pula? Mestikah semua orang yang “berumah bawah” hendak diletak di “rumah tinggi”? Mestikah semua tanah yang ada disimenkan? Mestikah semua rumah papan yang ada disaluti kaca?
Memanglah pembangunan adalah sesuatu yang elok untuk sesebuah wilayah penempatan tetapi bagi aku cukuplah apa yang wujud di Kuala Lumpur buat masa sekarang ini. Sedangkan apa yang ada pun tidak dapat di- “layan” apa lagi kalau ditambah-tambah lagi.
Sepatutnya pihak kabinet mengalihkan peruntukan bagi meranapkan Kampung Baru atau mana-mana lagi kawasan di Lembah Kelang ini kepada kawasan-kawasan yang lebih memerlukannya seperti sub-urban, kampung-kampung, pendalaman, pekan-pekan kecil dan banyak lagi.
Sudahlah cukup KL ini dipenuhi dengan orang ramai dari negeri-negeri lain dan negara-negara lain kerana KL ini terlalu complete pada tanggapan mereka sehinggakan anak-anak muda tidak lagi mahu tinggal di kampung halaman mereka (macam aku!). Aku percaya kalau tempat asal mereka membangun dengan baik, pasti mereka (dan aku) akan balik!
Photos by JASON LIM / theCICAK
—
ANITA TAHIR is a contributing writer for theCICAK.
Johor-born but Sabah-bred, she is more comfortable writing in her native Malay and her piece on (over?) development in Kuala Lumpur is theCICAK’s first Malay article. Nita, as she prefers to be called, is also a part-time percussionist, actress and scriptwriter.
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Comment of the week
I defend my right as a Malaysian to talk about anything that concerns Malaysia.
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I imagine the author is a 12-year-old communist without the slightest notion of how the world works.
People should be a whole lot more discriminating about what gets published here.
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Jangan lupa, Bukit Persekutuan dan Taman Tasik Perdana pun dia orang nak.
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Jeremy, I don’t think this article was about communism vs. capitalism. I think it was about a girl who’s lived in different parts of Malaysia, pointing out the obvious lack of proper planning in urban development in KL city.
It’s pretty unfair of you to write off her point of view as unpublishable simply because you don’t share her views. However, you’re welcome to be a contributor for theCICAK and say your piece, anytime.
It’s write4thecicak@gmail.com
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Land is expensive, and developers have their buildings tall enough to maximise their return on investment. This has both positive and negative externalities to different parties, and if nothing can be done in your situation, I hope you can make the best of it, Nita. Thanks for sharing another perspective on how KL’s development affects us.
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I observed that the quality of life in KL has been deteriorated every time I went back. The jams, the lack of proper public transportation, the high cost of living, the pollution…etc.
If this scenario happens in the Sim City, most of the citizens would have abandon it and the city would have a huge financial deficit.
I’d say that only those who can build a thriving city in Sim City should be considered to become the mayor.
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AHhahahahah, the only reason why i’m reading this article is to see whether my bahasa is still “boleh”… looks like i need more malay classes, cause i don’t really comprehend the point of this article!?! are you trying to say that malaysia should be more “ulu”? and that we should stop moving forward? please translate!!
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http://www.thecicak.com/?p=42
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mayb certain ppls already judge this article before even read and understand it.. Try to be in her shoes, mayb u’ll get her points..
from my point of view, she’s saying..
summarised:
balance in development,
quality of life in KL,
lack of proper planning..
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[…] writing in her native Malay. Her article on (over?) development in Kuala Lumpur is theCICAK’s first Malay article. Nita, as she prefers to be called, is also a part-time percussionist, actress and scriptwriter. […]
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what i think this article about is to protect our heritage rather than to destroy it. i had read a few travel article about Malaysia such as from Lonely Planet. they suggestively said to visit the kampung baru because that’s one of great place to see Malaysian culture in KL such as pasar ramadhan. these travel guide books even express their concern that there is possibility that someday such a great heritage will be destroyed and replace by just another modern buildings we see everyday. it is such ashame that the foreigners have a greater concern about our heritage than us.
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I left Malaysia 25ys ago I was 30 then probably all of you here are babies to me. I thought article is great, simple Malay to understand. I can’t write as good as her now… sorry forget how to spell some Malays words now
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ape kesan bangunan kaca pada suhu persekitaran di kuala lumpur ?
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