KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — In 1899, British colonial administrators acquiesced to the request of Malay residents around Kuala Lumpur and formed a 90.2-hectare settlement between the Klang River and Batu Road (now Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman). 

British Resident-General Frank Swettenham’s initial objective in founding Kampung Baru was to enable the participation of the Malay community in the development and progress of the city, by providing education on commerce and trade. The settlement was finalised on Jan 12, 1900, via a government gazette. 

At the time, the settlement consisted of seven villages, namely Kampung Periok, Kampung Masjid, Kampung Atas A, Kampung Atas B, Kampung Hujung Pasir, Kampung Paya, and Kampung Pindah. It was managed by the 11-member Malay Agricultural Settlement (MAS) Board, convening for the first time on March 11, 1900.

Kampung Baru witnessed the city’s rapid development throughout the 20th century, its residents having experienced the Second World War and the May 13 riots. Now, 117 years later, it remains a pearl of rustic serenity amid the hustle and bustle of urban modernisation.

Traditional wooden Malay houses stand in contrast to the towers and skyscrapers around it, even as the rest of KL slowly fades into posterity. Most of its 35,000 residents have refused numerous offers in the past to buy their land, insisting they are content with maintaining their way of life in Kampung Baru.