SARAWAK TO BE ZERO-SQUATTER-STATE BY 2020

SARAWAK HAVE 8,700 SQUATTERS (4,000 IN MIRI, 1,800 IN BINTULU & 1,400 IN KUCHING) & WE ARE TARGETTING TO BE ZERO-SQUATTER-STATE BY 2020

TWO hundred million ringgit would be allocated to build 15,000 units of Rumah Mesra Rakyat (RMR) in phases across Sarawak as a solution to squatter-related problems and to ensure the state would be a zero-squatter-state by the year 2020.

“Presently, Sarawak have about 8,700 squatters with the breakdown of more than 4,000 squatters in Miri, Bintulu (more than 1,800 squatters) and Kuching (more than 1,400 squatters) and we that is why we are focusing in these three areas.”

Minister of Housing Datuk Amar Abang Haji Johari Tun Abang Haji Openg said this during a press conference after chairing the “Squatters Committee Meeting” at his office at Wisma Bapa Malaysia near Petra Jaya here yesterday afternoon.

“Last year (2011) we have reduced about 13 per cent of the actual total of squatters (more than 9,000 squatters) where we have relocated more than 300 squatters to their permanent homes which we had developed including placing them at 2,000 new units of “rental-flat-house” where 1,000 in Bintulu, 500 Batu Gong, Padawan and 500 Rantau Panjang in Sibu.”

Johari is very optimistic that they can reduce more this year because some the RMR projects are scheduled to be completed within this year and towards of achieving their target of a zero-squatter-state by the year 2020.

“We also have some other housing schemes under the pipeline in Bintulu, Miri and Kuching beside some in Seri Aman, Betong, Mukah but their numbers are not that many,” said Johari adding that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had pledged that Sarawak will have 1,500 of the 10,000 RMR units to be distributed across this nation this year.

“This also involves resettling people to a new Kampung Extention Program and this also includes those in Muara Tebas, Sungai Tiram and Kampung Sungai Midin in Kuching and for those areas just slightly outside Kuching near Tabuan Jaya and road towards Serian, the government will built houses through the “Rumah Mampu Milik” (RMM) scheme.”

Johari said that they targeted by August this year alone, they would hopefully solve about 831 squatters families and another step closer towards to the zero-squatter-state status. 

He reminded that the status of zero-squatter-state of course it does not meant that the state will have no squatter problem at all but to the level of reducing the squatter problem to the minimum as possible.

“The migration of people from the rural areas to the urban, particularly for those quarters looking for jobs in the city is happening each day therefore, to eliminate entirely the squatter problem is quite impossible so if there is only 100 “temporary” squatters, we considered as zero-squatter-problem.”

-UnReportedNews™®