KOTA KINABALU: Matunggong assemblyman Datuk Jelani Hamdan will be meeting with Sabah Housing and Town Development Board (LPPB) chairman Datuk Rubin Balang to try and resolve the problems faced by local squatters at Jalan Sharif Osman Luyang here.
Jelani, whom the squatters had sought assistance from, said they were ready to move out but had nowhere to go as they have yet to receive the houses promised by City Hall.
“In fact I have requested the squatters who are mostly from Matunggong and Kota Marudu, to give the list of names of those who had filled in the forms to be allocated houses by LPPB but have yet to receive it.
“Once I get the name list, I will meet with Rubin and Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor to find a solution to the issue,” Jelani said at a small get-together with the media yesterday.
Jelani urged the government to relocate the squatters who are ready to move out of the area provided there are houses for them.
According to him, the situation in the squatter colony is dire as the squatters no longer have water or electricity supply.
The 100-odd families staying at the squatter colony expressed their worries as the eviction notice they had received recently stated that they had to move out by the end of this month.
They said the first eviction notice was received in June last year prompting them to immediately write in to the local authority, the Local Government and Housing Minister as well as relevant quarters seeking a postponement of the eviction.
They also claimed that soon after the eviction notice was delivered in June last year, City Hall personnel returned to visit them and asked the squatters to fill in a yellow form from LPPB.
“The City Hall personnel said we will be getting houses from LPPB and also advised us not to move out unless we get the houses. So what is disappointing is that we have yet to get any reply to the application.
“The only answer that we got from the government was that we have to move out of this area. We are not against development or the government but we just want to be treated fairly as we are poor people who cannot afford to buy a house. They promised (housing), so we want them to fulfill the promise,” they said.