Petronas Tower2 to Kampung Baru

During the late 19th century, the British were concerned over the marked absence of indigeneous Malays living in KL. In 1899 the govt set aside 223acres of land (Kampung Baru) to provide each Malay family a 1/2 acre plot, free of rent. The tenancy rights remained in the family and could not be sold without permission from the controlling board.

The purpose of this, was to promote Malay advancement in KL. Farmers and craftsmen were brought in, hoping to train their young for apprenticeships in local govt and administration. The scheme failed.

Today, the ‘vague’ regulations to ownership and commercial development of this Malay settlement is under pressure to be unraveled. As such, years of economic development has uniquely surrounded it.

“Cities vary greatly in their capacity to perceive and respond to opportunities created by globalisation. In social terms, growth has a marked consequence of the logic of neightbourhood links and microstructure of communities” – Globalisation and Spatial Reorganisation of Urban Space

Kampung Baru sprawls the middle portion , surrounded by highways, high rise towers and new development.

Traditional Approaches

This appeared somewhere around Masjid India. I have also seen such explict advertisements in Kuala Lumpur’s old communities like Kampung Baharu and Chow kit… where traditional approaches to all kinds of ailments have a market to exist in.

But when a community ‘develops’, its cultural practices also evolve. As such, traditional knowledge (productive or otherwise) will probably find it more difficult to exist. That is a loss to our cultural diversity. But for those who view this as a social ill, the thinking will be different right?

Kampung Baharu Flavour…see you soon

Just thought I’d release some pictures…before I stop posting for a little while.

It was getting interesting…I was getting to know the neighbourhood and its people. But for commercial reasons, progress there had to make way for progress elsewhere…ha ha ha. Somehow all my recent ‘commercial distractions’ seem to resolve around KLGTU locations. Kinda like different dimensions of KLGTU. I am doing it…but with a different eye. Pretty surreal when you can make – different sets of pictures come out from a similar location – when your objective is different.

     

The recent distraction was a story for Going Places about Malay houses and guess where it lead me back to…Kampung Baharu! Anyway I gotta go…its late and tomorrow is another full day. But I’ll be back soon! Pity this isn’t my personal blog, if not my…new adventures for the KL travel guide would be in here too…:)

This is my second ever lightning shot within 15 days! And I am not chasing after them. Boys and girls, the climate is changing and James Lovelock says that the current climate trend (global warming and its effects) is already irreversible.