Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) has come under fire for demanding that a self-built security guardhouse at Pulau Li Hua residential area be dismantled before road repairs and other infrastructure maintenance can be carried out.
Dudong assemblyman Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing reminded SMC and its councillors that their primary responsibility was to serve the community.
“Using the ‘illegal structure’ label for the guardhouse is a technical excuse, (which could) potentially put residents’ safety at risk by ignoring their concerns,” he said in a statement.
Residents of Pulau Li Hua constructed the guardhouse in 2017 in response to a rise in criminal activities in the area including car thefts, drug abuse and break-ins.
Since its establishment, crime rate has reportedly dropped to zero.
The community spends nearly RM200,000 annually on security measures that are financed independently, without any burden on the government, said Tiong.
He further highlighted that residents paid their assessment and land taxes, making it the local council’s duty to ensure proper infrastructure maintenance.
He criticised SMC’s recent stance that vehicles could not access the area because of the presence of the guardhouse, claiming that this was never an issue in the past.
Tiong also pointed out that similar structures existed in other residential areas throughout Sarawak and the country.
He urged the parties to find a solution that benefitted residents without sacrificing their security.
He also proposed that Pulau Li Hua Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) formalise their operations by reporting to the local police and cooperating with the Fire and Rescue Department to ensure smooth access to the neighbourhood in emergencies.
