By Yussof J. Imbang
SANDAKAN: The current ban on building SMJ homes on water should be revisited to better align construction with the needs of target groups based on the suitability of locations.
Datuk Masiung Banah, Vice President of the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, emphasized that the SMJ Secretariat should evaluate the appropriateness of water locations that do not present risks of natural disasters.
He recently inaugurated the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Gagasan Rakyat in the Sekong area at the Sandakan Community Hall, following a similar meeting in Karamunting the previous week.
“The resolutions from both AGMs are consistent; they call on the state government to reconsider the policy to permit the construction of SMJ homes on water sites.
“Numerous SMJ housing projects are stalled in both regions due to the proposed locations being on brackish water.
“I believe that the brackish water sites in these areas are safeguarded from wave-related disasters and high tides, as traditional homes are shielded by adjacent land and islands,” he elaborated.
He highlighted that it has been a long-standing practice for many residents in Sekong and Karamunting to construct homes on brackish water, with no occurrences of natural disasters such as tsunamis or high waves impacting them.
Masiung, who is also the Chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Board (LPPB), urged the state government to ease the regulations to facilitate the construction of SMJ homes on secure water locations.
Masiung is calling on the Sabah Ministry of Rural Development (KLPB) to review this policy to enable SMJ assistance to be developed on water in accordance with the needs of the target groups.
He noted that government structures or residences on water have become a customary practice in Sabah, as evidenced in regions like Tuaran, Menumbok, Tawau, and the village of Pulau Gaya in Kota Kinabalu, which include schools, mosques, and government facilities.
