Masiung (second right) during the press conference.
KOTA KINABALU: The State Town and Housing Development Board (LPPB) has given the residents of the Tanjung Aru flats seven months to move out from their homes.
Its chairman, Datuk Masiung Banah, said he understands that it is difficult to move out in the midst of a pandemic but pointed out that the LPPB has no other choice.
“We understand that this is very stressful and inappropriate. We know that it is hard for the tenants to find a home during this Covid-19 pandemic.
“But at the same time, as the owners of the flats, the LPPB are responsible for the safety of the residents,” said Masiung at a press conference on Thursday.
He said that if something bad were to happen, the LPPB would be the one to take the blame. Thus, the LPPB had no choice but to issue the reminder.
In view of this, Masiung urged the tenants to cooperate and to try to understand the issue at hand.
He revealed that the LPPB could not afford the cost of repairing the flats, as it had stopped receiving allocations from the federal and state governments.
Masiung also disclosed that the LPPB had put in place plans to assist the tenants when moving out but only on the technical level.
He added that the LPPB had made several suggestions to the state government but stressed that Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor will make the final decision.
“We are still helping them with whatever we can. The tenants may opt to move to the other LPPB housing areas but they must fulfil the requirements.
“We will prioritise the retirees, people with disabilities (OKU) and single parents,” said Masiung.
On May 24, the LPPB had issued a notice to the residents to move out due to the deteriorating building structure of the Tanjung Aru flats.
The fact that the flats have been around for 50 years was also one of the factors that led to the issuance of the notice.
All the residents of the 315-unit Tanjung Aru flats have refused to move out until the LPPB provides them with suitable housing for them to relocate.
They have also requested LPPB to carry out maintenance on the building for the sake of their safety.and demanded a meeting with LPPB to discuss the issue.