Penang govt in a spot over affordable housing

The DAP-led state government is finding itself in a fix when its Pakatan allies have been openly critical of its housing policy.

GEORGE TOWN: The DAP-led state government has landed itself in a spot over the issue of affordable housing in Penang.

Since June, the strongest voice of dissent has been coming from Pakatan Rakyat, of which DAP is an active partner.

One would expect Umno and Gerakan to be making the most noise but a surprising turn of events took place here when three Pakatan leaders – two MPs and one state assemblyman – broke ranks with the alliance by becoming openly critical of the current housing policy.

They are making claims of fraud, incompetency and even corruption over the issuing of affordable units.

Affordable housing strikes a chord with the Malay settlements here, most of whom are being forced out due to society’s thirst for redevelopment and modern social amenities.

While Malays grapple with the reality that many are now squatters, it was a tiny Indian community whose 18-month fight against eviction in Kampung Buah Pala, Gelugor, set the stage for the need to advocate social justice amidst rapid development.

The struggle of some eight families in Buah Pala against attempts to evict them through diplomacy or forced measures, made many people here, including the government, realise that there is a need for a decent housing policy in Penang.

PKR supreme council member and Balik Pulau MP Yusmadi Yusoff was the first to question the state government for approving new projects without taking into account the plight of traditional villages which stood in the way of redevelopment.

Yusmadi, who brought up the issue in Parliament, is now urging Pakatan to amend the Land Acquisition Acts to safeguard the interests of traditional villagers in semi-urban areas.

Don’t blame BN

Then came DAP’s Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi who caused a stir when he asked state executive councillor in charge of housing, Wong Hon Wai, to step down for failing to address the housing woes.

Ooi also hinted there is a blackmarket in operation for housing units.

Now, Kebun Bunga state assemblyman Jason Ong has stepped into the fray, alleging corruption in the housing unit.

Although he did not blame Wong, Ong said if the housing woes could be resolved, it would be a major achievement for Pakatan.

Ong also said Pakatan has inherited the issue of affordable housing from the previous Barisan Nasional government.

However, he said the current administration could no longer pin the blame on the BN, adding that Pakatan must now find the political will to resolve the acute shortage of affordable houses.

Ong said that Penang must resolve the issue fast as with every passing year, the market-driven development costs shoot up in tandem with the global increase of commodity prices.

In Penang, the demand for housing has continued relentlessly.

There is also the external factor: foreigners prefer staying on lush islands, and thus Penang enjoys a resurgence of interests from keen foreign investors under the “Malaysia My Second Home” scheme.

This again has pushed up the property prices here, Ong said.

Mushroooming slums

It is a common belief in Penang that only the rich and foreigners can afford most of the properties on the island while the majority of the folk stay in slums that have been mushrooming admist luxurious housing projects.

Ooi cited Jelutong where 12 traditional villages involving 1,000 families who are sitting on prime land are facing the threat of eviction with no proper compensation.

Former Jelutong Umno division chairman Abdul Rashid Ismail said that it is not easy to resettle people unlike before.

“They want to stay on or near an area where they grew up, or where their older generations hail from. Everybody has an affinity with their ancestry, especially where Penangites are concerned,” he said.

Wong, an unassuming bespectacled Air Itam assemblyman, is now caught up in the row, having to defend the state governement against critics from Pakatan.

Wong, who pleads for patience, has asked the three Pakatan representatives to provide evidence of corruption, fraud or incompetency of the housing authorities.

He also urged the people to accept the reality that if they want cheaper units, they must be willing to resettle on the mainland.

With superb infrastructure such as the second Penang Bridge Link and improvement in interconnectivity such as public transport, he said that staying on the mainland should not be a hinderance unless the people stubbornly want to live on the island.

Wong said that affordable units are in the pipeline.

Ooi, a maverick politician, has made history by becoming the first elected representative in Penang to place an advertisement in newspapers seeking for public registration of those seeking affordable housing in his constituency.

He is also now engaging the private sector to find ways to bring social justice to the state’s housing policy.

Meanwhile, expect more fireworks over the issue of affordable housing in Penang as the issue is also highly politicised.