KUCHING: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Women chief Kho Teck Wan has clarified that it was right for SUPP Youth secretary-general to direct local issues at Jalan Selangan Batu in Pending constituency to the attention of the local elected representative rather than the state minister.
She said this in response to Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (Dapsy) Kuching chief Anthony Chin’s statement, in which he said the SUPP Youth secretary-general should have directed the poor road condition issue there to the state minister instead of Pending’s elected representative.
“I would like to query as to why is it wrong to raise the local issue to the local elected representative. Isn’t it the job of the people’s representative elected by the locals to pay attention and help solve issues faced by the people?
“If every local issue raised by the grassroots needs to be referred to a minister, then why do we even bother to elect a local representative?” she questioned in a statement on Thursday (Mar 11).
She said the illegal squatters in Pending area were either located on state land, private land, or the marine reserve near the river.
She pointed out that when houses were built on marine reserve, floods were unavoidable during heavy rain and high tide. She added that when a road was constructed privately in undeveloped private or state lands, its repair and maintenance did not fall under the local council’s jurisdiction.
“Therefore, it is right that the SUPP Youth secretary-general directed the issue to the attention of the local representative,” she emphasised.
“While the housing development minister is working on constructing more affordable houses, I don’t foresee illegal squatters in urban areas going away anytime soon,” she said.
Kho said illegal squatters was an urban issue facing even the most developed nations, adding that this issue was a result of socio economic and urban migration, and could not be solved simply by looking at infrastructure development.
“The solution to the poor living conditions of illegal squatters is to move them away and help them find a permanent home.
“The process involves understanding the family’s needs and income condition. The next step is to match the family with affordable housing or a rental home that meets their income level.
“Unfortunately, the process takes time and some are not willing to move even when they can afford a house,” she said.
She also said it was common to see a new squatter family moving in to occupy the empty house vacated by the family who had managed to move out.
“And for those who have worked with squatters over the years, we know when an empty house is dismantled in a squatter area, another will be erected months later. And the effort to help move them away starts all over again,” she said.
She said while the living conditions of the squatters could not be improved in the short term, assistance could still be provided in the form of community engagement projects such as gotong-royong, welfare assistance, and food aid.
“I therefore urge the local YB to stop the blame game and face the real issues facing the Pending illegal squatters,” said Kho.
