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Selangor State Government
should push the deadline of its Zero Squatters 2005 Program by another
year or two as it has failed to build sufficient low cost units by end
2005
Media
Statement
by Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew
(Petaling
Jaya,
Monday):
Many families living in the
squatters in Cempaka, Subang, Pandamaran, Sungei Way and Damansara new
villages are now complaining that they were not getting proper compensations
from the developers and the local government before they were displaced to
various transit homes.
And worse, some of the squatter
families (whether first, second, third or fourth families) were not offered
with low cost units simply because the state government and the developers
appointed by the state government could not build sufficient low cost units
in time for the dislocated people.
DAP Selangor has given our
support to the State Government on its Zero Squatters Program 2005 not
without conditions. We have always maintained that all affected families and
individuals must be provided with proper alternative homes and adequate
compensations.
Over the years, we in Selangor
have accepted the policy that every single displaced family must be offered
a low cost unit at a discounted price (It’s RM35, 000 for each unit for
the first family).
And every second, third and
fourth family must be offered a unit at RM42, 000.
Besides, the authority and the
developers must provide transit homes with free deposits and free monthly
rental for every affected family until their units were ready for dwelling.
On top of that, all affected
families must be given some RM1, 000 as cost of moving.
These are some basic and
minimum pre-requisites before any squatter family was asked to move.
DAP Selangor leaders have been
cooperating with various local governments and developers in moving many
people to their new homes since the nineties without much problem.
But of late, many of the
affected families were not given such basic compensations and alternatives
due to corruptions and mishandling by certain politicians and local
governments. We found that some of the BN politicians were not aware or well
versed with the state policies on such matter.
If the Selangor State
Government could not build enough low cost units to replace the squatters by
end 2005, it’s only sensible for Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo to push
the deadline of the Zero Squatters Program by another year or two.
The State Government must also
make sure all affected families were not short-changed in the process by any
developers or local municipalities.
Bulldozing its program under
such circumstances would only create injustices and social unrest in the
state, making a mockery of its advanced state status as claimed by the
Selangor Menteri Besar.
DAP Selangor will continue to
monitor the progress of the Zero Squatters program in the interest of the
Selangor people.
(27/6/2005)
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Liu Tian Khiew, DAP International
Secretary and NGO bureau chief
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http://dapmalaysia.org