“There is no point talking about the delays, we are thankful for the homes today,” said Mela Aib, who was among the recipients.Selangor Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Lee Kim Sin, who attended the ceremony, said the bungalows should have been built and delivered to the families in March 2007.
“This is our second visit to this 110.5 hectare project, in which 16.2 hectares were allocated as housing development for the Orang Asli,” said Lee, who is also the Kajang assemblyperson.
He said when the committee first visited two years ago, the development had not been completed despite a privatisation agreement between the state and the developers signed in 1999.
According to the agreement, all developments should have been handed over to the Orang Asli by May 2007 but only 30 terrace houses were completed during PAC’s first visit.
The homes are part of the compensation promised to the community. In addition to the bungalows, they were promised low cost flats, terrace homes and shops lots which should have also been completed four years ago.
The other families who were promised homes were left in the lurch and some resorted to building makeshift homes in the nearby agricultural park.
“Our visit today is to ensure the promised developments will be fulfilled without further delay,” he said.
A total of 30 medium and 23 low cost flats, along with two shop lots have yet to be built.
Lee added that public amenities including a surau, kindergarten and recreational facilities were also missing. Lee said PAC will advise the current state administration against similar privatisation projects which are unprofitable.
He said the previous state administration had signed off on 40 such projects from 2006 but so far only eight have been completed.
The projects were supposed to generate RM270 million for the state but to date the state had only got RM29 million from them.
Selangor Times Feb 25-27, 2011
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