Progress, development and public housing needs
I have disagreed with many of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s policies during his time in power. Yet, credit must be given where it is due.
When he envisioned the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC – Petronas Twin Towers), the project did not involve uprooting urban smallholdings, let alone Malay landowners.
The site was the old KL racecourse along Jalan Ampang. Relocation was negotiated with the club owners, who were compensated fairly.
The process was orderly — no forced evictions, no street protests, and no need for police intervention.
Even for what became the tallest building in the country, ordinary people were spared.
Putrajaya and KLIAÂ
Putrajaya was planned with the same principle in mind.
Despite its massive scale, it did not involve dismantling kampung life or bulldozing through long-established neighbourhoods.
Land was acquired from plantation estates, with compensation settled through proper channels.
KLIA offers yet another example. By the 1990s,…
