Kampung Haji Abdullah Hukum

Kampung Haji Abdullah Hukum is an urban village located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is situated further south along Jalan Bangsar, between the Rapid KL Kelana Jaya Line station named after the village (See: "Abdullah Hukum LRT station") and the Klang River. It is surrounded by areas such as Bangsar, MidValley City and Kerinchi.

History

Kampung Haji Abdullah Hukum is one of Kuala Lumpur’s early Malay settlements, with a 200 year old history.

The village is named after Haji Abdullah Hukum, whose given name was Muhammad Rukun. He came to Malaya at the age of 15 with his father back in the 1800s. To earn a living he worked as a farmer and a contractor before he started opening lands and villages with the consent of Raja Laut, who was then the Raja Muda of Selangor.

Abdullah was later chosen by Raja Laut to head a mosque in Pudu. He was also given the authority to start a nursery in Bukit Nanas and to open a village in Sungai Putih (now Jalan Bangsar). After retiring, he continued to stay in the village in Sungai Putih which is now known as Kampung Haji Abdullah Hukum.

Despite initially starting as a Malay settlement, the village now boasts of a multiracial population of ethnic Malays, Chinese and Indians. There is even a Hindu temple, Sri Sakthi Nageswary Temple, located within the village.

Development

Despite its relatively close proximity to the Mid Valley City mixed development just 250 metres east, no proper connection is provided between Abdullah Hukum station and Mid Valley City. The current routes requires patrons walk northwards to a footbridge crossing KTM tracks, from which they may head further east to cross Klang River via a road bridge. The station is currently the closest rapid transit station to Mid Valley City, but a KTM Komuter regional rail station is located far closer to the area.

Various proposals were made to link the station to Mid Valley City, mainly via a direct pedestrian link between the station and the western tip of The Gardens, the closest and newest segment of Mid Valley City to the station. However, the proposals were commented to require proper consideration and planning before implementation, including suggestions to form a hub around the station (with a new Komuter station and a new monorail station) and rebuild the station entirely to support a larger number of patrons.cite web |url=http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2007/7/30/central/18440220&sec=central |title=Skybridge plan to mall lauded |accessdate=2007-08-24 |author= M., Bavani|date=2007-07-30 |publisher="The Star" (Metro/Central section) ] Plans to clear "Kampung Abdullah Hukum" for future development, rumoured to be a new wing of Mid Valley City,cite web |url=http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2007/7/31/central/18441259&sec=central |title=Goodbye to another urban kampung |accessdate=2007-08-24 |author=Christina Low |date=2007-07-31 |publisher="The Star" (Metro/Central section) ] meant the prospects of integrating the station into the development is also likely.

Recently, it has been reported that the 200-year-old Kampung Haji Abdullah Hukum has been earmarked for development. The village has been marked for a major development comprising condominiums, office blocks, shopping complex and there is even talk of a transit hub to be built in the area.

References

* [http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2007/7/31/central/18441259&sec=central Goodbye to another urban kampung] , The Star, July 31, 2007.----