THE Penang government has found itself dragged into a delicate housing situation at the community housing of Taman Manggis in Jalan Zainal Abidin here.
It is a transit housing scheme offered to underprivileged families to stay for a maximum of three years while they consolidate and improve their income to relocate to better affordable housing, such as the rent-to-own schemes.
But several residents, when met, said that they cannot afford to relocate because they are unable to improve their financial standing.
Taman Manggis now finds itself in the highlight reel again after, in 2009, plans to construct a dental hospital next to it were averted by the state following stiff opposition, as the earlier administration had marked it for affordable housing.
Car park executive Pannir Selvam Supramaniam is at the forefront of the issue, having held spirited dialogues with the state and various elected representatives.
He has approached the Opposition, such as MUDA, but the situation is looking bleak because the tenants of some 300 units need to understand that it is a transit housing status, not a permanent one.
Gerakan leaders were also familiar with the issue, but the fact that it is a transit home status causes more implications for the matter.
The issue has grown complicated as the state housing board struggled to enforce the "temporary" status, enabling several families to stay on for up to a decade.
And state executive councillor Datuk Seri S. Sundarajoo, in his visit there, noticed the presence of luxurious vehicles and a superbike parked in the residents' compound.
"Some are earning beyond the poverty benchmark, so they have to be ethical and consider relocating out."
He told a press conference that the board was instructed to screen the tenants there, and those who have overstayed and have high disposable income need to relocate soon.
Eviction letters are expected to be issued soon, and it was held back due to the Hari Raya celebration.
And Pannir Selvam is expecting it, but he says that he is empowered by the residents' association to contest the decision on a few grounds.
In a statement, Pannir Selvam said that not all families there have managed to escape the poverty trap.
"There are reasons - some are disabled, some are single mothers and fathers, and some families simply cannot earn enough to relocate."
And the big issue is when they relocate, the only homes available to them are located on the Prai mainland, a long distance from their workplaces, hospitals and support groups, said Pannir Selvam.
He sat down with The Vibes, pleading for the state to orchestrate a win-win status for the affected residents and the board.
According to Pannir Selvam, 18 families were issued eviction notices, of which seven families went out on their own, two have submitted appeals, including a single mother tending to her push cart stall outside the flat area.
The rest are in limbo and have consulted him to find a way out of this quandary, including a veteran hotelier, who was recently suspended from his job because he had to care for his ailing wife.
Pannir Selvam said that the issue can be resolved if the state first puts on hold the evictions, offers a consistent stance because in the past the state had differed, reconsider the appeals and offer fair alternative housing on the island.
Pannir Selvam also said that the affected residents will resort to emergency legal action if they are forcibly evicted from Taman Manggis.
He also urged the state to explore converting some units to a rent-to-own scheme and to sell other units at commercial market rates.
It can be a cross-subsidy scheme for the residents, so those who are keen to stay in the heart of George Town can do so at Taman Manggis.
Sundarajoo said that the state was willing to consider the appeals but stressed that the residents who can afford to relocate should do so.
It is because there is a long line of recipients seeking a unit there, he stressed.
There are over 1,000 applicants for Taman Manggis.
The criteria to stay there are a monthly income of around RM1,500, having families and special status such as being disabled.
Pannir Selvam sees the state's decision as driven by commercial interests, as Taman Manggis is located in prime land at George Town.
"We feel that we are shooed out because the area can be redeveloped for more value to both the public and private sectors. It is a David versus Goliath fight," he said - April 10, 2026.
