Penang Govt taken to task over demolition

Friday May 14, 2010

THE Penang Government has turned a deaf ear to numerous appeals made by the Rumah Hijau Residents Association over the tearing down of the vacant houses at the Rumah Hijau longhouses in Mak Mandin, Butterworth.

Bagan parliamentary coordinator and Bagan MCA division Youth chief David Chua(pic at right three), who said this, also claimed there was no proper planning when the demolition was carried out recently.

“The empty houses are attached to other houses. Because of that, water seeps in from the side when it rains,” he said.

“To make things worse, the site has become a mosquito breeding ground because of the debris, clogged drains and pot holes,” he said in a press statement on Wednesday.
Chua claimed a 12-year-old boy was now sick with dengue fever.

He said during a meeting attended by state Town and Country Planning and Housing Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai and state Public Works, Utilities and Transportation Committee chairman Lim Hock Seng with leaders from Barisan Nasional at Wong’s office last month, it was agreed that the residents would not be forced to move out from their houses.

Barisan was represented by Bagan Umno division chief Datuk Latiff Mirasa and state MIC liaison committee chief Datuk P.K. Subbaiyah.

Chua called upon the executive councillors to put aside politics and assist the Rumah Hijau folk to solve the long-standing issue once and for all.


Rumah Hijau Resident Association chairman A. Tamil Selvam said he went to Lim’s service centre on Jalan Raja Uda near Butterworth last week to request for him to stop the demolition work.

However, he claimed Lim did not entertain him and said he had nothing to do with the demolition work.

Last November, 170 of the 236 families from the area accepted the keys to their flats.

The remaining 66 families, who declined the offer, have chosen to remain in their village while demanding that the state build a block of flats within the village.

from : The Star Metro North

Kerajaan negeri takutkan penduduk Rumah Hijau Mak Mandin

■PENDUDUK Rumah Hijau Mak Mandin, Butterworth mengeluarkan perabot dari rumah yang dirobohkan.

BUTTERWORTH: Seperti lagak samseng. Itulah yang boleh disimpulkan terhadap cara penduduk Rumah Hijau Mak Mandin di sini yang diarahkan keluar dari rumah mereka oleh kerajaan negeri. Kenyataan itu dilemparkan Ketua Umno Bahagian Bagan, Datuk Latiff Mirasa, terhadap tindakan kerajaan negeri merobohkan dua rumah penduduk di kawasan berkenaan walaupun sudah menyatakan komitmen untuk membantu. Latiff yang menjadi penasihat kepada penduduk, berkata tindakan kerajaan negeri itu seperti samseng dengan menakut-nakutkan penghuni supaya mematuhi arahan berpindah ke Flet Ampang Jajar.

"Dalam pertemuan saya dengan Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Bagan Jermal, Lim Hock Seng dan Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Perancangan Bandar dan Desa Perumahan Kesenian, Wong Hon Wai tiga minggu lalu, mereka cakap akan selesaikan masalah itu dengan memohon bantuan Kerajaan Pusat.

"Itupun selepas saya berkeras bahawa kerajaan negeri terdahulu (Barisan Nasional) sudah menyediakan pelan pembinaan rumah kos rendah di sini seperti dipersetujui penduduk. Tetapi, lihatlah apa berlaku sekarang.

"Mereka roboh dua rumah yang memberi kesan sampingan antaranya seorang kanak-kanak berusia 12 tahun menghidap penyakit deman denggi kerana kawasan itu kini menjadi tempat takungan air. Tindakan mereka ini seperti samseng," katanya ketika melawat kawasan perumahan itu.
Tinjauan Berita Harian ke kawasan itu mendapati, ada takungan air di kawasan rumah dirobohkan, sekali gus menjadikan kawasan itu tempat nyamuk Aedes membiak.

Selain itu, sisa kayu dari rumah yang dirobohkan juga tidak dibersihkan, malah masih ada wayar elektrik tergantung yang mungkin akan menyebabkan berlaku renjatan elektrik.

Berikutan masalah itu, penduduk mendesak Lim yang juga Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kerja Raya, Utiliti dan Pengangkutan negeri, meletak jawatan sebagai wakil rakyat kerana bersikap lepas tangan.

Desakan itu dibuat selepas Lim menyatakan kepada penduduk bahawa beliau tidak mempunyai sebarang kuasa untuk menyelesaikan masalah dihadapi penduduk yang jelas berbeza ketika berkempen pada pilihan raya umum lalu.

Pengerusi Persatuan Penduduk Rumah Hijau Mak Mandin, A Tamilselvam, berkata Lim memaklumkan bahawa penduduk tidak akan dipindahkan ke Flet Ampang Jajar jika pakatan pembangkang memerintah negeri ini.

"Tetapi apabila sudah memerintah, banyak pula alasan diberikan Lim kepada kami. Kami kecewa dengan sikapnya itu dan mahu beliau letak jawatan sebagai Adun supaya seseorang yang lebih berkemampuan dilantik," katanya.

Tamilselvam berkata, pihaknya menemui Lim pada Rabu minggu lalu bagi meminta penjelasan selepas dua buah rumah dirobohkan minggu lalu walaupun kerajaan negeri sudah berjanji untuk membantu penduduk menyelesaikannya.

"Dalam pertemuan dengan Lim dan Wong, mereka menyatakan akan membantu penduduk dengan memohon bantuan untuk menyelesaikan masalah itu.

"Tetapi sehingga kini, surat memohon peruntukan bagi membina rumah kos rendah di sini masih belum disiapkan. Lebih teruk lagi apabila dua rumah dirobohkan walaupun jalan penyelesaian masih belum ada," katanya.

Source from : Berita Harian

Polystyrene window frame shock for house buyers

By DERRICK VINESH
derrickvinesh@thestar.com.my

click to PHOTO ALBUM

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.

Penduduk Rumah Hijau bengang Adun DAP lepas tangan

BUTTERWORTH 9 Mei – Penduduk perkampungan Rumah Hijau, Mak Mandin di sini mendesak Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Bagan Jermal, Lim Hock Seng (gambar) meletakkan jawatan kerana gagal menyelesaikan isu perumahan di kawasan itu.

Menurut mereka, Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kerja Raya, Utiliti dan Pengangkutan negeri itu bersikap ‘lepas tangan’ walaupun sebelum ini berjanji untuk menyelesaikannya ketika kempen pilihan raya umum lalu.

Pengerusi Persatuan Penduduk Rumah Hijau, A. Tamilsalvan berkata, Hock Seng sebelum ini pernah berjanji untuk menyelesaikan kemelut yang dihadapi penduduk itu apabila mereka diminta berpindah ke Rumah Pangsa Ampang Jajar.

Menurutnya, tindakan Hock Seng itu bagaikan ‘cakap tak serupa bikin’ kerana sebelum ini beliau pernah berjanji untuk membantu penduduk, tetapi apabila ditemui baru-baru ini wakil rakyat DAP itu menolak untuk membuat sebarang rundingan.

”Hock Seng kata dia tak mahu ambil tahu masalah penduduk Rumah Hijau kerana ia di bawah bidang kuasa Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Perumahan, Perancangan Bandar dan Desa negeri, Wong Hon Wai.

”Kami benar-benar kesal dengan tindakannya itu kerana dia (Hock Seng) yang menabur janji untuk membantu ketika kempen pilihan raya. Kalau masalah rakyat tidak dapat diselesaikan, lebih baik dia letak jawatan,” katanya pada sidang akhbar di sini hari ini.

Turut hadir Ketua UMNO Bahagian Bagan, Datuk Abdul Latif Mirasa.

Tamilsalvan turut kecewa apabila dua buah rumah penduduk di situ dirobohkan minggu lalu mengakibatkan penghuninya hilang tempat berteduh.

Jelasnya, kontraktor swasta yang datang melakukan kerja meroboh itu mengingkari perjanjian bahawa rumah mereka tidak akan diusik sehingga kerajaan negeri berunding mengenai nasib mereka dengan Kerajaan Pusat.

”Tapi minggu lalu rumah-rumah ini dirobohkan dan sisa runtuhan itu dibiarkan bersepah di tapak rumah itu sehingga membahayakan kanak-kanak.

”Selain itu air yang bertakung di tapak runtuhan menjadi lokasi pembiakan nyamuk aedes menyebabkan seorang kanak-kanak diserang demam denggi baru-baru ini,” ujarnya.

Sementara itu, Abdul Latif melahirkan rasa kesal dengan tindakan kerajaan Negeri yang seolah-olah menganiayai penduduk di situ.

”Mereka bertindak seperti gangster yang merampas tanah orang lain di sebalik laungan ingin menjaga kebajikan rakyat negeri ini.

”Saya mendesak kerajaan negeri atau kontraktor jangan mengganggu penduduk di sini sehingga rundingan dengan Kerajaan Pusat selesai,” katanya. – Utusan Malaysia


Source from Pemuda Subang

BN ideas on the table

By WINNIE YEOH

THE Penang Government will adopt a non-political approach to resolve the Rumah Hijau longhouse issue in Mak Mandin. A total of 66 families there have refused to relocate to another place.

State Town and Country Plan-ning, Housing and Arts Commit-tee chairman Wong Hon Wai said he would look into the proposals submitted by state Barisan Nasional leaders and also the financial implications.

“The leaders explained the history of the longhouse issue and the state government needs some time to look into the matter,” he said after a one-hour closed-door meeting with state Barisan leaders in Komtar on Friday.

Among those present were state MIC chairman P. K. Subbai-yah, Bagan Umno division chief Datuk Abdul Latiff Mirasa, Bagan MCA division Youth chief David Chua, state exco member Lim Hock Seng and some 20 residents.

Some of the residents are unhappy that they have to move to other flats in Ampang Jajar, some 3km away from the longhouses.

Last November, 170 of the 236 families there accepted the keys to their flats.

The remaining 66 families, who declined the offer, have chosen to remain in their village while demanding that the state build a block of flats within the village.

Abdul Latiff said there was an understanding between the previous state government and the residents that a block would be built there.

“The state government is quite sympathetic and is looking seriously into resolving the issue.

“The residents will stay put until a solution is found,” he said.

Chua said Barisan leaders told Wong and Lim to study minutes of the previous meetings as it could shed some light on the issue.

“The state government has agreed to check and get back to us,” he said.

Subbaiyah said there was a letter dated June 13, 2007, from the previous state govern- ment stating that the residents would be allowed to live there but there was no follow-up action.

The Star - Monday April 5, 2010

Drawing people together

IN the spirit of 1Malaysia, Bagan Barisan Nasional (BN) organised a Juara Rakyat programme in Mak Mandin in Penang recently which attracted about 1,000 people from all walks of life.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of food hampers comprising rice, biscuits and other items to 250 poor people.

Bagan Umno division chief Datuk Abdul Latiff Mirasa gave away the food hampers.

The event kicked off with an aerobics session at 7.30am which drew residents and leaders of political parties.

Viewa photo album

Bagan parliamentary constituency coordinator David Chua said many people participated in the various activities held on that day.

He said residents of Mak Mandin flats also took part in a fire-fighting drill to equip them with basic knowledge in the event of a fire.

“Residents also enjoyed multi-cultural performances such as silat, lion dance and BharataNatyam,” he said.

Many children also took part in a colouring contest.

Also present at the function were Bagan MCA chairman Loo Khay Thye and Bagan MCA Youth vice-chairman Sum Yoo Keong.

from : The Star

Residents worry over ‘unstable’ longhouses

FAMILIES still living in the Rumah Hijau longhouses in Mak Mandin, Seberang Prai, are worrying over their safety as the vacant units are being demolished causing their longhouses to be unstable.

Bagan MCA division Youth chief David Chua said on Wednesday the structures are now unstable as contractors have moved in to demolish the units vacated by families who have moved to the replacement flats in Ampang Jajar, some 3km away from their squatter village.

“The contractor rightfully should only demolish the front and the back portion and leave the dividing wall of each unit but now these walls have been brought down causing the structures to be unstable as water is seeping in.

“I was informed by association chairman A. Tamil Selvam that when he spoke to State Public Works, Utilities and Transportation Committee chairman Lim Hock Seng, I was told that Lim had given the directive to tear down the units,” he said when contacted yesterday.

However, Chua said when the association representatives met State Health, Welfare and Caring Society Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh, who is Sungai Puyu assemblyman, they were told that the contractor should not tear down the units.

“Why are the families given different versions of what is happening when their lives are in danger?” he questioned.

He added that the state was not serious in helping the families solve the problem as they were delaying inviting representatives from Barisan Nasional to discuss the fate of the remaining families at the longhouses.

“The association representatives who met state Town and Country Planning, Housing and Arts Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai just before Chinese New Year in February were told that the state would hold a meeting with Barisan representatives, the affected families and the association representatives.

“But it has since been a month now and there is no such invitation from the state. Why is there a delay if the state is serious in helping?” he asked.

When contacted, Wong said it was not true that the state did not want to meet the families.

“We have met them a couple of times and the state will meet with the affected families again on March 30,” he said.

From : The Star. Metro Norhtern 19.03.2010