AFTER “successfully” resolving the one-week Taman Manggis PPR flat tenant eviction controversy, the Penang government wants the Local Government and Housing Ministry to conduct a national exercise to ensure only deserving citizens occupy such public housing units.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said PPRs being occupied by ineligible tenants was a national issue, which was why even the minister had made statements on the issue.

“Penang has shown political commitment and bravery in tackling this issue.

“We hope the ministry will conduct a national exercise to make sure PPR homes are only for deserving Malaysians,” he told a press conference at Komtar today.

State authorities had been trying to regain 22 PPR units at the Taman Manggis flat since October last year, but only half of them surrendered their units and left.

The situation forced the authorities to evict the rest, including the eight families that were locked out of their units last Wednesday, which led to seven of the families camping outside Komtar in protest.

With the support of some local anti-Pakatan Harapan government groups, the residents challenged their eviction everyday while bloggers, social media users, and the media documented their protest.

The situation even drew the attention of the prime minister, who sent his political secretary Abu Bakar Yahya to visit the state authorities in Komtar last week for a report on the issue.

Throughout the entire week, the state government stood firm that it had gone by the book to evict the tenants because they had violated PPR tenancy conditions and lost their eligibility to remain there.

Yesterday, the housing department negotiated with three of the protesting families and offered them low-cost housing elsewhere in the district.  

Others voluntarily left while the state considered the applications of some other families for low and low-medium cost homes.

State housing exco Jagdeep Singh Deo said the authorities had expected the tenants themselves to approach the state authorities for low cost or low-medium cost housing if they could not find places to stay themselves.

He said the people had been given ample time to do so since last October before last Wednesday’s eviction.

“When you are evicted from a PPR unit, it does not mean you don’t qualify to apply to the state for low cost, low-medium cost, or affordable homes.

“You can also apply for the rent-to-own scheme. Given your situation, you can be given priority in your applications,” he said.

Jagdeep also said the Penang government would continue to conduct periodic audits to make sure PPR units were not abused by tenants.

“Please understand the responsibility of the government. There is a long waiting list of deserving applications looking for PPR homes.

“Existing tenants who know they have lost the eligibility to stay at PPR flats should come forward to upgrade their socioeconomic status,” he said.

Jagdeep also said the authorities were discussing with the state legal advisor on getting the millions of ringgit in arrears owed by tenants who have failed to pay rent and maintenance.

He said the state has now accumulated rental and maintenance arrears of over RM18 million, an increase from 2013’s RM14 million, because tenants had failed to pay monthly.

He said there were tenants who could afford to pay for Astro satellite television but did not pay their rent.

“If you can pay your Astro bill, why can’t you pay the rent and maintenance?  

“Tenants with arrears and Astro have been issued warnings before. From experience, they will always pay rent after threats are made to remove their Astro satellite dishes.” – March 13, 2019.