THE Penang housing board yesterday sealed five apartment units at a transit housing scheme in Taman Manggis.
As a result, three occupants from the five units found themselves homeless last night despite last-minute appeals to the state authorities for a reprieve.
The Taman Manggis transit home in Jalan Zainal Abidin, George Town, is located in a prime location, with a neighbouring landowner consenting to a mixed commercial development project of a private hospital and a hotel.
It is located just across from the New World Food Court.
The 320 units are reserved for the poor, who are earning below RM1,500, married and needing shelter pending a state amnesty of two to three years before they can adequately raise their income to purchase affordable housing units.
In Penang, the pricing of such units ranges between RM42,000 and RM300,000.
But according to the state executive councillor Datuk Seri S. Sundarajoo, who oversees the housing portfolio, some of the tenants have abused the process.
Audit checks by the state housing board revealed that some tenants were earning more than RM1,500 and they owned more than two vehicles, while some may have also purchased other properties besides continuing to stay at the transit units.
"It is most unfair, as there are eligible families who qualify for a unit there but they cannot relocate because the present tenants refused to leave. They need to be responsible tenants. Leave when the period to lease is over."
The waiting list is over 1,000 applicants.
Hence, in March, 18 eviction notices were issued, prompting the residents' committee spokesperson Pannir Selvam Supramaniam to challenge it on grounds that many residents cannot afford to relocate due to extenuating circumstances.
He lodged various appeals with the board and sought political intervention and media attention, but yesterday, the state was forced to act.
"The law is there for all to observe. As lawmakers, we need to uphold and enforce it. Ample warnings were accorded to the tenants," said Sundarajoo.
The state has now found itself dragged into a delicate housing situation, but Sundarajoo said that the law needs enforcing and the abuse should stop.
Pannir said that those facing eviction cannot afford to relocate because they are unable to improve their financial standing.
"It is inhumane. We are being treated like the Rohingya here, and worse because we are technically Malaysians. I hope we can resolve this issue in a win-win fashion."
Pannir said that he plans to appeal to the housing board.
Some of the reasons cited were also untenable, such as one was issued an eviction notice because his wife is an Indonesian.
"The man was married to his wife for the past 30 years. Why act now?"
Sundarajoo in his past visit there, also 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."
The housing board was instructed to screen the tenants there, and those who have overstayed and have high disposable income need to relocate soon.
Sundarajoo said that the state was willing to consider the appeals but stressed that the residents who can afford to relocate should do so. - September 4, 2026.
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