Beyond repair: Marina looking at the exposed building structure at Block Four. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
Residents live in fear as they face falling debris and structural damage
JOHOR BARU: With nowhere else to go, retiree Pang Ah Lek continues to live in an apartment that has been officially declared unsafe for over two years.
The 78-year-old, who is among almost 200 people risking their lives living in two blocks of the Taman Jaya flats that have been declared unsafe by the Malaysian Public Works Institute (Ikram), said he bought his unit four decades ago.
“I bought it when I had a stable income working as a clerk for a private company in Singapore.
“Now, I no longer have a job. I rely solely on my savings to support myself and my wife. I know that the apartment is not safe, and I constantly worry about that, but where else can I go?
“Whatever money we can spare goes into paying for utilities, food and our other basic needs,” he told The Star in an interview at the flats here.
Pang, who has been living at the flat since 1984, said he could not afford the RM250 monthly rent to live in a house under the People’s Housing Project (PPR).
“There was previously a suggestion for us to be relocated to a PPR, but I cannot afford the rent since I am no longer working.
“I bought this house so that my wife and I would have a place to live when we are old. We never expected to have to think about paying rent at this age,” he said.
Pang was among those living in the two blocks of flats that were deemed unsafe in 2024.
In 2007, another block was declared unsafe by the state Public Works Department and has since been abandoned.
Taxi driver Suparman Ismail, 60, said he was also worried that the abandoned building could attract criminal activity.
Overgrown bushes at Block Four after it was abandoned by residents.
“We have been informed that both blocks are unsafe, but no clear relocation plan has been offered,” he said.
Suparman also stated many elderly residents have already paid for their units and are unable to afford new housing loans.
Factory operator S. Jayaselan, 26, said he has seen visible structural damage, including cracked roofs, weakened beams and unsafe stair railings.
“I live on the second floor, so my family is safer during floods, but the ground floor suffers badly.
“During major floods, we have to park our vehicles at nearby shop lots,” he said.
Taman Jaya flats residents committee member Abdul Halim Ishak, 57, said most residents are elderly and uncertain about their future.
“There are structural cracks, soil erosion beneath lower-ground units, and ceiling pieces have fallen before.
“Out of 92 units in Block Two and Block Three, about 70% are rented, around 11 units are owner-occupied,” he said, adding that rental costs range from RM350 to RM600 monthly, while homeowners originally bought their units for between RM22,000 and RM45,000.
Skudai assemblyman Marina Ibrahim urged the state government and the Housing and Local Government Ministry to step in and assist the flat owners.
“After Block Four was declared unsafe, most residents moved to flats they bought in Taman Impian Emas.
“Some were relocated to PPR Melana Indah in Taman Perling with assistance from the state housing and local government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor,” she said.
Marina added that most homeowners are senior citizens, adding that recent incidents such as the Segamat earthquake, highlight the risks of staying in homes that are declared unsafe for occupation.
She suggested the state government consider relocating residents nearby using a house-exchange programme and reassessing market prices.
