Shafie takes aim at Sabah’s evictions of low-cost flat tenants, SFI workers

KOTA KINABALU – Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal has expressed concern over the recent spate of evictions targeting low-cost housing residents and former workers of the closed-down Sabah Forest Industries (SFI). 

According to him, the state government appears to be desperate to have them evicted or removed from their homes without giving any alternatives or solutions. 

The Warisan chief emphasised that the government should prioritise humanity and work towards resolving issues facing the people, rather than exacerbating them.

“Is this what it has come to? The Sabah government is now resorting to evicting people… we should show more compassion. There are various ways to address such problems, such as implementing policies or providing guidance to help them find homes,” he said. 

“The government should ensure they are offered alternative housing. We must prevent our people and their children from ending up on the streets or being forced to stay with others, as this could lead to safety and health problems in the future.”

Shafie made these statements after listening to the grievances of residents of low-cost housing at Tg Aru and several SFI workers during a small gathering at Tg Aru.

The Sabah Housing and Urban Development Board had instructed the residents of Taman Jaya Diri, Taman Bukit Setia, and Taman Puri Warisan to vacate their units within three months from June 19 this year.

In the case of the Tg Aru low-cost flats, residents were already asked to vacate their units this month after the board declared the building unsafe.

As for the former SFI workers, approximately a thousand of them are now living without water and electricity at an estate in Sipitang.

Shafie highlighted that the state government possesses multiple ways to resolve these issues, citing his past actions as the chief minister between 2018 and 2020. 

For instance, he had gazetted several villages, including Tongod and Kota Marudu, allowing residents to continue living in those areas.

In Tongod, villagers were residing inside a forest reserve while in Kota Marudu, villagers had occupied land owned by the Sabah Forestry Development Authority.

In his briefing earlier, Shafie said the government should not give state lands to outsiders but should hand them to locals to allow them to have permanent homes. 

He had noted that in the instance of SFI – where a consortium has been allowed to reboot the estate on the land in Sipitang. 

On a similar development, Shafie plans to compel the state government to stop the evictions by writing a letter to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, or bring the matter to the upcoming Sabah assembly in August.

In the case of the Tg Aru Low-cost flats where the moving-out date for the tenants is this month, he said they would have to play by ear as to when the state housing board will finally be forced to evict the remaining tenants. – The Vibes, July 16, 2023