Chor lashes out at Penang Govt

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THE Penang Government must fulfil its promise to the Rumah Hijau squatters in Mak Mandin to build affordable flats within their present village.

MCA vice-president Datuk Chor Chee Heung said Pakatan Rakyat’s alleged pledge to the Rumah Hijau squatters in Butterworth during the 2008 general election has apparently vanished into thin air.

“The state government is now trying to push this to the Federal Government to solve but our hands are tied as the land belongs to the state. Nonetheless, I will try to help,” he said.

If Barisan Nasional manages to win back the state in the next general election, Chor said he would take it upon himself to ensure that the long-suffering Rumah Hijau villagers got what was promised.

He said this during a dialogue session with the people at the Bagan MCA division headquarters on Sunday.

Sixty-six families there are demanding that the current state government build new flats within the village for them, as allegedly promised.

★Squatters in Butterworth open Dialog with Dato' Wira Chor Chee Heung,10 July 2011. from left to right Loo Khay They, Chor Chee Heung, David Chua & Sum Yoo Keong.

On a separate matter, Chor, who is also the Housing and Local Government Minister, said his ministry would investigate a developer allegedly involved in building an inferior quality housing project in Ampang Jajar.

The Ampang Jajar project is located near Rumah Hijau.

“I will wait for an official report from Bagan MCA and if it is true, the developer will be blacklisted,” he said.

Chor also urged Chief Minister and Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng to assist the Ampang Jajar homeowners in getting a soil test report, as they could not afford it.

“I understand that this is a big problem as some houses are now sinking. The state must look into this because the hard-earned money of the buyers is at stake.

“Meanwhile, I will check with the Seberang Prai Municipal Council president (Maimunah Mohd Sharif) to see how my ministry can help,” he said.

Later in Jawi, Chor presented appointment letters to the Village Safety and Development Committee members and presented two Proton Arena cars to the Sungai Jawi and Kampung Valdor voluntary firemen there.

He said at present, there were about 26,000 firefighters nationwide — half of whom were volunteers.

“It’s just not possible to have fire stations in every kampung nationwide, hence we need volunteer firefighters on standby, especially in villages,” he said.

He added that the Government was actively looking at ways to improve the welfare of volunteer firefighters.

Also present was Jawi Barisan coordinator Tan Cheng Liang.

In her speech, Tan said under Chor, the constituency’s drainage and flooding woes would be taken care of as they came under his ministry’s purview.

Polystyrene window frame shock for house buyers

By DERRICK VINESH
derrickvinesh@thestar.com.my

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BUTTERWORTH: Several house buyers in Taman Ampang Jajar here had a rude shock when they checked the houses – the outer frames of their windows were made from polystyrene.

A buyer, Lee Kim Tatt, 35, claimed that the polystyrene pieces were covered with a thin layer of cement.

“What would happen if a person steps on the window sill, thinking that it was made of concrete?” he asked when Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) president Mokhtar Mohd Jait visited the project site yesterday.

■Not sturdy: Lee showing the polystyrene used for his house in Taman Ampang Jajar in Butterworth, Penang, yesterday.

A representative for the project’s architect said the frames were merely decorative pieces that should not be stepped on.

Another buyer, Yan Wei Seong, 33, claimed the houses did not follow the original plan as per the sale and purchase agreement (S&P) signed in 2006.

“Some units in a particular row have double steps leading to the back lane while some in the same row only have one step, which shows that the ground is uneven,” he alleged.

Barisan Nasional’s Bagan parliamentary constituency co-ordinator David Chua, who was present, said he was surprised that the relevant departments and agencies had given the green light for the MPSP to issue the Certificate of Fitness (CF) to a majority of the units in 2008.

“How could the CF be given when some of the units are not in good condition?

“Access to these houses is also blocked with hoardings and there are no street lights in this area,” he said.

Mokhtar said the developer had agreed to extend the defect-liability period for the housing units by another two years.

“Disgruntled house buyers are advised to list down their grouses, so we can hold further discussion with the developer.

“We will try to come up with amicable solutions,” he added.

Mokhtar said of the 101 housing units, 22 units as well as 17 shophouses had yet to receive their CFs, pending approval from the relevant departments and agencies.