KOTA KINABALU: Sabah MACC has proposed improvements in governance for the state's rural housing programme after finding that some completed houses were not occupied and rented out to third parties.
Five recommended measures were submitted to the Sabah Rural Development Ministry in relation to the Rumah Mesra Sabah Maju Jaya (RMSMJ) programme.
Among the key proposals are a refinement of recipient eligibility criteria, including a requirement that applicants must be heads of households, Sabah MACC said in a statement on Tuesday (Dec 23).
Sabah MACC also recommended that owners of dilapidated houses approved under the programme must demolish their old homes once the new houses are completed.
It further proposed that applications should not be approved if the applicant has a source of income and that ownership of RMSMJ houses should not be transferred to third parties, except where the head of household has passed away and ownership is transferred to a lawful heir.
Other recommendations include the establishment of a monitoring mechanism before, during and after construction, the introduction of a standardised RMSMJ application form and the inclusion of a warning clause under Section 18 of the MACC Act 2009 in the application process.
Sabah MACC also proposed briefings and clearer guidance on RMSMJ implementation guidelines for all parties involved in the programme.
All the proposals were presented by Sabah MACC director Datuk Mohd Fuad Bee Basrah to the Sabah Rural Development Ministry during a briefing session held at the ministry's office here on Monday (Dec 22).
The ministry's permanent secretary Datuk Myrna Jimenez welcomed the recommendations, saying the ministry would act on the weaknesses highlighted.
"We will take action to improve the weaknesses identified and recommended by Sabah MACC," she said.
Also present were Sabah MACC governance investigation branch head Hamsia Abdul Ham and Sabah Integrity and Governance Division representative Mohd Jamri Ag Damit.
