The Penang State Government criticised the eviction of the residents of Kampung Mutiara, calling it inhumane to force them out of their homes with no compensation.

“We object against the action of the landowner who is evicting the people without compensation.”

“It is against basic humanitarian values, especially when the people have lived there for decades,” said Zairil Khir Johari (Bukit Bendera MP) and Mujahid Yusof Rawa (Penang PAS deputy commissioner) in a statement today.

Zairil said that in the past, such as in the case of Kampung Chetty residents, the state was able to strike a deal with the developer to compensate the families with a low medium cost flat for each home evicted.

However, the landowner in this case, a private individual living in Selangor, did not respond to negotiations by the local Village Security and Development Committee (JKKK), elected representatives as well as the state government. Instead, the land owner in 2007 applied for a court order to evict the villagers.

After several attempts to stay the eviction notice, the legal battle has come to a close and the residents expect to be forced to leave their village.

Zairil explained that the state has its hands tied unable to intervene in the eviction of Kampung Mutiara residents by the land owner because the matter’s fate had already been decided by the court.

Zairil, who is also Penang DAP Vice Chairman, said that the state government does not have the power to prevent the eviction of the 48 families from Kampung Mutiara.

He said that the state had no locus standi to interfere with the issue as there was no developer involved in this case, and no planning permission request was submitted to the state government.

The court has issued a writ of possession favoring the land owner, forcing the residents to leave without being given a home to live in.

“The land owner has chosen to proceed with the legal eviction without offering any compensation to the people,” said Zairil and Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa in a joint statement made today.

The families who have lived in the village for over 50 years will now be losing their homes as the land owner is adamant about clearing the village without offering compensation.

On October 13 this year, close to 400 people attended a protest in favor of Kampung Mutiara residents. Some cried and screamed their frustrations during the protest that the traditional village was going to be taken from them without negotiations with the land owner.

Zairiil and Mujahid pledged to continuously work with the Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung (JKKK) and negotiate with the land owner for an amicable solution for the people. -The Rocket