‘We can’t afford to own a house’

GEORGE TOWN: A 65-year-old woman is worried for her daughter’s future at the Taman Manggis People’s Housing Project (PPR).

Faridah Murad, from Kampung Makam, said her daughter’s family is struggling to make ends meet with a meagre monthly household income of RM1,000.

“My daughter is a housewife and her husband is a parking attendant. They have six children aged seven to 15 who are still schooling,” she said at the lobby of Komtar here.

Faridah said her daughter had been staying at the flats for more than five years.
She added that most of the residents could not buy an affordable unit as their income was low and their bank loans were not approved.
“It is not that we do not want to own a house, but we really cannot afford it.

“If the home costs between RM40,000 and RM50,000 and with a bank loan approved, we might be able to,” she added.

Hoping to stay put: Faridah and other Taman Manggis PPR residents sitting in at Komtar.

Faridah claimed that the residents received a notice in October 2018 to vacate their houses.

“We sent appeal letters to the authorities but there was no response.

“The second notice was sent to us on March 5, but the authorities came the next day and chased us out of our homes.

“We were forced to leave as the police were involved,” she said.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow yesterday urged the families to accept the fact that they were no longer eligible for the PPR units and to apply for houses that they are entitled to.

“Not eligible for the PPR units does not mean that you cannot apply for other categories.

“However, if you have a house offered by the state and had sold it, then we will not consider you anymore,” he said yesterday.

Meanwhile, the 50-odd residents evicted from eight Kampung Manggis PPR units in Jalan Zainal Abidin continued their sit-in protest at Komtar.

Curious with the drama, several passers-by stopped to take videos and photos of the scene while some offered them some bread and water.

The occupants of 22 government flats, whose household income had exceeded the maximum, were evicted following a six-day reprieve to vacate their homes.

Earlier on Wednesday, the families got into a standoff with an enforcement team after their homes were sealed.

They then marched a few kilometres to Komtar to stage a peaceful protest.

On Friday, they were granted a further three-day reprieve until tomorrow, so that they can retrieve their belongings.- Star