GEORGE TOWN, Aug 24 — The usually quiet village of Kampung Mutiara, secluded in the hilly terrain and away from the touristy beach belt of Batu Ferringhi, is abuzz today as hundreds of politicians from Umno, PAS and the state ruling party DAP and PKR converge here and join hands to to prevent the eviction of its residents.
Setting aside political differences, the Umno, PAS, DAP and PKR leaders and members have gathered together with the villagers at the village as early as 7am in a bid to prevent their forced removal from their homes.
Today, the bailiff will be evicting the 1,000-odd villagers from the century-old scenic village in Batu Ferringhi, but the villagers have blocked all three entrances with their vehicles.
At one entrance, children dressed in their school uniforms was even spotted holding placards pleading with the authorities to be allowed to keep their homes.
DAP's Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari said the landowner had contacted him and Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon and is ready for discussions on resolving the issue.
"But he said he will not stop the eviction today and let the court process take its course," he told reporters here.
The landowner bought the 3.5 acre land in 2006 and proceeded to evict the residents without offering any compensation or applying for planning permission for any project on the site.
He had applied to the court to evict the residents back in 2012 and on April 20 this year. A court order asking them to vacate the premises was issued followed by a writ of possession on June 25 and finally, a notice to vacate was issued last month on July 9.
Most of the residents in the village, consisting of about 90 households, have been living there for more than 50 years.
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Kampung Mutiara is not merely a squatters’ area as the village was awarded the title “Traditional Village” back in 2004 for its authentic Malay traditional village way of living and houses.
Umno Bukit Bendera division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail said this is a time for all politics and party ego to be set aside for the sake of the villagers.
"Regardless Umno, PAS or even DAP, in this situation, we all have one goal, which is to protect the interest of the villagers of Kampung Mutiara," he said, while addressing the crowd gathered at the village.
He added that Umno Bukit Bendera has no interest in starting a feud with the state government as they are sure the state is also doing all it can to help the villagers.
"I would like to thank the Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon and Zairil for doing what they can to help the villagers," he said.
He also told villagers and all supporters to remain calm as currently, lawyers are applying to court for a postponement of the eviction action.
