Warisan’s Tanjung Aru candidate, Junz Wong, said the supply of electricity and water to residents of the Rumah Pangsa Tanjung Aru low-cost flats has been cut off.
TANJUNG ARU: Warisan’s Tanjung Aru candidate, Junz Wong, has pledged to rebuild the Rumah Pangsa Tanjung Aru low-cost flats and halt the relocation of their long-time residents if he retains his seat at the Sabah state election.
Wong, a Warisan vice-president, claimed that the residents had faced increasing pressure in recent years to leave, including disruptions to basic utilities which had left dozens of households struggling.
“These families have been here for 30 to 40 years. Their supply of electricity and water has been cut off. There are still about 45 families living there without water and electricity.
“If the people give us the mandate, the first thing we will do is to ensure that Rumah Pangsa remains for the people and is rebuilt with more units for local families and young people,” he said in an interview with FMT.
Last year, the residents of the low-cost flats were ordered by the state’s housing and urban development board to vacate by Aug 31, according to Borneo Post.
The board first informed them in May 2021 that they needed to relocate as the building structure had become unsafe.
The residents staged protests and demanded a mutually acceptable solution, as well as a copy of the report declaring the flats unsafe.
Putatan Umno chief Jeffery Nor Mohamed had urged the board to postpone the Aug 31 deadline to the end of the year.
Jeffery also said that some residents who were offered alternative housing found the new locations too far from their workplaces or their children’s schools.
Protecting residents from being priced out
Wong said the rising value of land in Tanjung Aru made it even more important to preserve housing for low-income groups, warning that families could be pushed out of prime land if development proceeds without safeguards.
He said Warisan would explore ways to expand affordable housing, including negotiating land swaps or the release of land held by state agencies.
He also said Warisan would not support any plan to displace communities without proper alternatives.
“We must make sure we do not give away Rumah Pangsa as it sits on prime land in Tanjung Aru. I’ve heard that there are plans for mixed-use development there, and that would push out ordinary families in Tanjung Aru.
“We want all landowners, whether their leases have expired or not, to be included as stakeholders in any redevelopment so that everyone benefits through a win-win outcome.
“Tanjung Aru is a semi-urban area, but many families still do not own homes. We want development to benefit the people who have lived here for generations,” he said.
Wong is in a nine-cornered fight as he seeks a third term as the Tanjung Aru assemblyman. He previously served as the Likas assemblyman.
Among his strongest challengers is Sabah DAP deputy chairman Chan Foong Hin, who is contesting under Pakatan Harapan.
