“Sparks flying from machetes like glowing embers” That’s what the indigenous Temuan Orang Asli community called Bukit Kiara long ago. This densely forested area is a natural oasis away from Kuala Lumpur. It is close to Bukit Damansara, TTDI, Mont Kiara, Sri Hartamas, and Bangsar.
Bukit Kiara is one of the last remaining green lungs of Kuala Lumpur. It boasts jungle trails, pristine rivers and streams, and abundant native wildlife. Despite development in Mont Kiara, Bukit Kiara remains a natural escape.
In 1976, the government acquired the 1,534-acre Bukit Kiara rubber estate. They purchased it from Ng Chin Siu & Sons Rubber Estates Ltd for RM49.14 million. About 200 acres became public institutional land. It housed Intan, the National Science Centre, and the Securities Commission.
The government commissioned US landscape architects Royston Hanamoto, Alley and Abey. They led a local team to prepare a botanical garden master plan. The plan was for the remaining 1,300 acres. Completed in 1982, the master plan included an arboretum. It merged into a National Mausoleum and a public golf course.
The plan remained intact until 1987. However, private sector recreation clubs and high-end residential projects violated the government’s acquisition purpose.
Of the original estate, only about 400 acres is left for public use today in Bukit Kiara. The rest was sold off to entities like KLGCC and Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort.
In 2012, the National Landscape Department erected a fence. It separated the park from Berjaya Corporation’s Bukit Kiara Equestrian Club. The Housing and Local Government Ministry said the fencing was to deter illegal rubber tapping. They also aimed to expedite the park’s transformation into an arboretum.
Since 2013, Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng has questioned the delay of the gazettement in Parliament. Replies stated gazettement could only occur after the Federal Lands and Mines Department received all land titles.
Inside the fence, there is a small network of tarmac trails. The trails are painted red and yellow. Numerous mountain bike and walking trails are maintained by local volunteers outside the tarmac area in Bukit Kiara.
Not much is known about how Bukit Kiara got its name. “Kiara” was adopted by the British planters who developed the Bukit Kiara Rubber Estate. “Kiara” appears in various languages. It often relates to light or darkness. “Kiara” might be an anglicization of “kayu ara”. These Malay words refer to the fig tree.
The Temuan Orang Asli community called the hill Bukit Pencalak. Pencalak is an old Temuan word for “spark”. They told stories of warring Djinn who fought on the hill. The sparks from their machetes looked like glowing embers. Eventually, the Temuan left Bukit Pencalak due to mysterious disappearances.
Today, Bukit Kiara Federal Park spans 400 acres. This includes the 274-acre gazetted portion and 126 acres yet to be gazetted. Friends of Bukit Kiara has been at the forefront of the Save Bukit Kiara movement since 2001.
Bukit Kiara faces ongoing disputes. There are tensions between conservation and development. The area is used by recreationists and squatting workers. Bukit Kiara facilitates the lives of many, even if they do not realize it. Gazettement is unstable. It requires symbiotic humans and developmental ideologies. Preserving Bukit Kiara requires understanding its history.