Tanjung Aru low-cost flat residents shocked over eviction announcement

Tanjung Aru Low cost residents expressing their shock over Sabah Housing and Town Development Board chairman Datuik Masiung Banah's claim they have agreed to vacate the government flats by July this year.

KOTA KINABALU: Some 300 residents at a government flat here were caught by surprise by an announcement that they had “agreed” to vacate the premises by July.

The residents of Tanjung Aru Low Cost Flats said that the Feb 14 announcement by Sabah Housing and Town Development Board (SHTDA) chairman Datuk Masiung Banah was a surprise to them as there had been no consultation with them at all.

The residents highlighted their anxiety, confusion and anger over SHTDA's sudden and unilateral move to evict them on grounds that the 330 units in 11 blocks were allegedly unsafe.

The blocks were built 50 years ago.

A spokesman for the residents said that there was no official eviction notice or discussions with SHTDA on the issue of leaving the units by the end of July, this year.

During a meeting with SHTDA on July 5, 2022, the residents were informed that the engineering firm Ikram had confirmed that the main structure of the building was good but there was a need to refurbish the units.

However, SHTDA explained that they did not have the funds to rehabilitate the building but offered to provide them with alternative low cost housing.

"We only asked them to give alternative low-cost houses," the spokesman said, adding that so far 40 to 60 residents were offered alternative houses.

Out of the 330 units, the spokesman said that 249 units were still occupied by them as SHTDA has yet to provide them with alternative low-cost housing.

"For us, Masiung's announcement that we agreed to vacate the premises by July came as a shock. In fact, we are still waiting for a follow-up by SHTDA since our meeting last year.

"They have not come back to us officially on the follow up actions from the last meeting. We have been continuing to pay an RM170 monthly rent.

"Now we get a shock through a public announcement that we are prepared to leave," the spokesman said.

They urged Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Joachim Gunsalam, who was recently appointed state Local Government and Housing Minister, to intervene and resolve their plight.

They said that former local government and housing minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun (now state Finance Minister) had told the Sabah state assembly that the residents would be provided alternative housing before they were asked to vacate.

SHTDA has yet to say what were the immediate plans for the flats that sits on a prime property in Tanjung Aru.