Labuan villagers evicted, living in ramshackle shelters

 

Villagers in Kampung Gersik, Labuan, who were evicted earlier this month as their homes were built on land belonging to the Sabah Islamic Religious Council (Muis), are still uncertain of their fate as they put up in ramshackle makeshift shelters.

The village’s action committee chairperson Omar Abbang reported that eviction operations were clinically carried out on March 4-8 and claimed it left up to 3,000 people homeless.

“They came and bulldozed our homes and ignored our protests and questions over where we would stay afterwards. 

“The local government and Muis don’t care about the people’s welfare. For them, we are like a ghost they want to ignore.

“We really don’t know what to do. My cousin and I set up a small shelter and have a place to sleep, but we are worried about the harsh weather and diseases since there’s no running water,” he said.

He said that despite numerous attempts to engage Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Nor and Labuan MP Suhaili Abdul Rahman, no help had been forthcoming.

The villagers had been living illegally on land owned by Muis and were served a six-month notice dated May 22, 2023.

The eviction process, which began on Nov 23 last year, was halted and villagers were given until Feb 28 to find new homes before the process resumed.

Last month, prior to the resumption of the eviction, Suhaili told Malaysiakini he would look into the matter but has not responded to calls and messages since then. Muis also did not attend to inquiries on the matter.

The residents occupy two lots in Kampung Gersik, a land area totalling 14ha.

Villagers not Malaysians

Suhaili in November also disputed several claims by the villagers, questioning if there were indeed 3,000 people living in the area.

The lawmaker felt that many of the residents were not Malaysians but those who had entered the country on the IMM13 social visit pass.

The IMM13 passes were meant for Filipino refugees who entered Sabah without valid international travel documents from late 1972 until 1984.

“Since the villagers are claiming to be Malaysians, I have asked them to produce proof. As long as they are Malaysians, I can tell you that they will not be evicted without alternative dwellings.

“Even if they are not Malaysians, we are not going to deny them shelter. This is a long-standing issue of illegal settlement on Muis’ land,” Suhaili had said.

Omar insisted today that a vast majority of those evicted were Malaysians.

“I can’t believe that the government doesn’t care about its own citizens and they are doing this to us during Ramadan,” he added. - Mkini