Alien in PBR home shock
TENOM: Rural Development Minister Datuk Radin Malleh was disappointed and aggrieved by the action of some participants of the Housing Assistance Program (PBR) in the district who rent out their homes to others, including foreigners.
He said their action was contrary to Barisan Nasional (BN) government policy to build houses for the poor people in the state, those who cannot afford to have their own home.
“When I visited a PBR home last Thursday, I was shocked and saddened to learn that the house was inhabited by a foreigner despite the name plaque on the front wall of the house showing the name of the owner as a local,” he said during a visit to the government development project here recently.
He said the foreigner told him that he only paid RM120 monthly rental for the PBR house.
Radin, who is also Melalap assemblyman said although the house is considered f ull government assistance and was built on the land of program participants, it does not mean they can simply rent out the house for their personal gain.
“Their action also showed they do not appreciate the effort that the government has spent a sum of money to build a house for the welfare of their families,” he said.
The villages visited by Radin was Ponontomon, Saga Tengah, Saga Laut, Batu-Batu, Tinibui, Mandalom Baru, Bulun, Entabuan, Ulu Entabuan, LIGS Board Settlement, Manining, Makakumpai, Ulloi Atas, Mansalima, Mantailang, Gunting, Makapau , Naluyan, Tuan and Liuh.
He added that the financial allocation from the Ministry of Regional and Rural Development to build PBR houses in the state will be coordinated by the State Ministry of Rural Development and the construction will be managed by the respective district offices.
At the same time, Radin also advised existing PBR homeowners who want to improve their homes to submit their applications to the district office, which will then extend the application to the ministry for allocation approval for recovery and repair of their homes. He urged the people to submit any complaints and problems in their area to the government departments concerned and not to the opposition or the media because only the BN government is able to help them.
“District Offices in the state will also monitor and carry out inspections of the homes of participants under the program and update the list of PBR homeowners to address the issue concerned.
“People who know of foreign nationals renting PBR houses in the state need to report to authorities for appropriate action,” he said.
He added that the Village Development and Security Committees (JKKK) throughout the state, particularly in the district should also be proactive in helping the government to address the problem of illegal immigrants in their area.
Radin said the people should also join hands with the government to address the problem of illegal immigrants in the state.
According to him, the government is trying to address the problem of the influx of illegal immigrants, including the establishment of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in the state.
He said projects for rural development will be implemented which will provide opportunities for local entrepreneurs and enhance the wellbeing of the population in the affected villages.
“The development projects that will be implemented proves the government’s commitment to improve the lives of the people.
“The strong support of the people to the government is very important for the sustainability of development programs in our areas,” he said.
Also present during the visit were Datin Angeline Tom, District Officer Madiyem Layapan, Political Secretary to the Ministry of Infrastructure Development Stanis Baundi and Melalap Community Development Leader Simon Mamat.