KOTA KINABALU – Occupants of the Tg Aru low-cost flats who are facing eviction since two years ago have maintained their stand to not budge until their demands for alternative housing are met.
Over 200 tenants gathered to make the stand last night after flat-owner, Sabah Housing and Town Development Board (LPPB) chairman Datuk Masiung Banah told local news outlets they had allegedly agreed to vacate their units by July this year.
Dewi Awang, a spokesperson and one of the affected tenants, denied that residents made such resolutions to the state government agency.
“We have never sought an extension until July (as mentioned by Masiung) but had asked from the board to find alternative settlements for tenants who have not been offered a new home,” said Dewi, citing a meeting held with LPPB officials in July last year.
Since the eviction order was served on May 24, 2021, 60 tenants had been offered new units elsewhere and some had taken up the offer while some refused for personal reasons, she said.
Dewi said there are still 249 units that have not received any offers till now.
The group also said the eviction order for the 11-block flats on grounds they claimed as unsafe was also found to be untrue. This was debunked after a consultant firm hired to look into the buildings found them to still be structurally sound.
https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/52871/tg-aru-flat-tenants-evicted-for-their-safety-sabah-housing-board
Dewi said this was disclosed to them by the consultant at the close-door meeting they had with the LPPB officials in mid-last year.
She said a final follow-up meeting to resolve all issues was due and LPPB has yet to fix any date up to this point.
Instead, she said Masiung publicly claimed they had agreed to vacate their units.
In January 2022, tenants have made it clear to LPPB that they will not budge until the agency provides an alternative settlement. – The Vibes, February 21, 2023
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