Although the fire that tore through a floating village in Sandakan, Sabah, has been attributed to a gas stove, it has nonetheless sparked a “troubling feeling” in Malaysian Advancement Party (MAP) chairperson P Waytha Moorthy.
While he declined to speculate without evidence, he said the scale and impact of the disaster, which destroyed about 1,000 homes and displaced thousands, inevitably raised questions about whether “something might be amiss”.
According to Waytha, this concern is rooted in recurring proposals to relocate water village residents to public housing projects and land-based resettlement schemes, often justified by fire risk and safety concerns, sanitation and public health issues, as well as broader urban planning and redevelopment goals - without taking into consideration the communities’ long-established way of life.
“The convergence of such longstanding relocation pressures raises difficult questions... This underscores the importance of transparency, accountability, and a firm commitment to protecting the rights of the affected communities.
“This disaster must not be used as a justification to permanently displace them from their rightful homes. The government has a responsibility to ensure that affected families are allowed to rebuild in the same location, preserving both their way of life and their connection to the sea.
“Relocation policies that disregard these ties risk erasing entire communities and traditions,” he added in a statement.
Waytha also cautioned against redevelopment priorities shifting toward commercial interests, including tourism or resort projects, at the expense of local residents.
“Ultimately, recovery efforts should focus on restoring homes, livelihoods, and dignity, not displacing people from the environments they have long called home,” he added.
Previously, Daily Express quoted Kampung Bahagia village head Sharif Hashim Sharif Iting as saying the blaze was believed to have started at around 1.30am in a house at Bridge A, after a resident lost control of a fire from a gas stove while cooking.
He said that although nearby residents tried to put out the flames before firefighters arrived, the fire spread quickly.
He added that the situation was worsened by closely packed wooden houses, strong winds, and a limited water supply.
Proposed land reclamation
Yesterday, Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor said the state government plans to redevelop Kampung Bahagia but would first review the report from the Sandakan disaster management committee.
He said one of the proposals under consideration includes land reclamation in the area for new housing development.
“We have plans to develop this area into a legal village. However, we need to obtain a full report from the district disaster committee to evaluate the proposals put forward.
“There is also a proposal to reclaim the area for future housing development. This will involve considerable cost, but we will see how the Sandakan Municipal Council’s proposal addresses the resettlement of those affected by the fire,” he was quoted as saying.
- Mkini
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