COMMENT | Allow me to tell you an amazing story

COMMENT | Yesterday, I accompanied five elderly individuals to the Permodalan Negeri Selangor Bhd (PNSB) building in Menara Naza, TTDI, Shah Alam, where they received the keys to flats in Pangsapuri Taman Harmoni, Cheras.

What was remarkable about this event was that these individuals purchased low-cost houses in a project called Taman Sri Raya, located at 9th Mile, Cheras, back in mid-1989.

The project was developed by Kausar Corporation Sdn Bhd and owned by PNSB, a Selangor state government body.

These families, mostly from the B40 income group, paid a deposit of RM6,000, legal fees of RM200 to Kausar Corporation’s lawyers, land tax of around RM127, and wiring expenses of about RM264.

They signed the sales and purchase (S&P) agreement and the houses were expected to be completed by June 30, 1991.

Yesterday, 33 years later, five of the seven families received keys to alternative low-cost flats at Taman Harmoni, given to them for free. Moreover, all the payments they previously made, such as legal fees, land tax, etc, were refunded to them.

Now, people often ask me, “How does PSM succeed?” The answer is never simple. It requires persistence, hard work, and, most importantly, having a people’s committee motivated to fight for their rights.

It is always a joy to see the light at the end of the tunnel and the faces of accomplishment from the people involved.

In 2007, 17 years after purchasing their house, a young boy named Muruga and his father Subramaniam came to see me. They showed me the S&P and briefed me about the abandoned project.

We visited the site and found it had turned into a jungle. However, we noticed that other buildings in the same project, supposedly meant for wealthier buyers, had already been constructed and some were even occupied.

We were told that the developers had prioritised these buildings first. But this is no longer the case. The Selangor state government has since put conditions on housing developers, requiring them to build low-cost units first before proceeding with the rest.

Our Kajang PSM branch, along with Subramaniam and a few others affected by the abandoned project, placed a banner at the site. A month later, we organised a meeting there and formed a committee to begin yet another struggle.

Only seven house buyers attended the meeting. We believe the others didn’t turn up either because they had received compensation or had never paid a deposit for the house.

So, we formed a seven-member committee with those who committed to the cause. The journey began with these seven members.

The seven buyers stated that the developer was supposed to build 40 units of low-cost, double-storey flats. Upon further investigation, we discovered there were supposed to be 407 units of low- and medium-cost houses and shophouses in Taman Sri Raya, Batu 9, PT14689 – 14722 and PT 10224-10228.

The Housing Ministry protest

On Oct 4, 2007, we held our first protest and lodged a complaint with the Housing and Local Government Ministry. The ministry immediately pointed the finger at the state government, stating that they would arrange a meeting within two weeks. Those two weeks stretched into a year.

In 2008, the BN-led Selangor government was replaced by Pakatan Rakyat. In October of that year, we brought the issue to the attention of Saari Sungib, the state executive councillor in charge of abandoned projects.

He was the chairperson of a task force on such projects in Selangor, and as a former ISA detainee during the Reformasi movement, he sympathised with the plight of these families.

Saari called a meeting and promised three actions. First, the Selangor government would appoint a new contractor to complete the construction of replacement housing - an apartment in the same location at the price stated in the original S&P agreement signed in 1989.

Second, the task force would visit the construction site to discuss plans with the new contractor. Third, they would pursue claims for damages and compensation from Kausar Corporation Sdn Bhd and PNSB, as the developer had failed to build the houses.

On Nov 24, 2008, Saari visited the site and informed us that the state government had engaged with a contractor to begin construction.

While this brought hope, every time our team visited the site, there seemed to be no progress. Eventually, getting follow-up meetings and feedback from the exco became difficult.

Finally, in May 2010 - one and a half years later - Saari told us that the Selangor government could not proceed with the apartment project on the same site due to technical issues; the soil was not suitable for construction.

Although we were upset, their alternative proposal was still favourable: PNSB promised a replacement house.

Selangor MB steps in

On June 21, 2011, PSM, along with the seven-member committee, met the state housing exco to discuss the matter. He promised to call a follow-up meeting, but none took place.

Then, on Sept 7, 2011, we lodged a complaint at the Selangor State Housing Board office. They too did nothing to resolve the issue.

Nasir Hashim, the then-PSM chairperson, also helped raise the issue in the Selangor state assembly, as he was an assemblyperson at the time.

From February 2012 onwards, we began applying pressure to meet with then-menteri besar the late Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to resolve the issue. After several months of trying to secure an appointment, we finally met him on June 1, 2012. The MB directed PNSB to help resolve the problem and find a solution.

We had a meeting with PNSB on Oct 11, 2013. During the meeting, PNSB committed to returning the money paid to the developer, but they did not agree to other demands, such as compensation, damages, or a replacement house.

We didn’t agree to this, as we demanded an alternative house, which had been the initial promise made to us.

Then came the Kajang Move.

Azmin Ali became the new MB, and Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail became the assemblyperson for Kajang, where this project was located. We sent a letter to Wan Azizah requesting a meeting to discuss the issue and an open letter to the new Selangor MB on Oct 28, 2014.

On Jan 7, 2015, the Selangor Housing Board offered an increased sum, stating that each buyer would receive a gratuity of RM2,500 per person. However, this offer again fell short of our demand: a house for a house!

Breakthrough

Finally, a breakthrough occurred on Nov 18, 2016, when PNSB proposed two major agreements. First, alternative housing was proposed at Taman Harmoni, near The Mines, and second, the reimbursement would include the deposit paid, legal fees, and any other fees incurred during and after the purchase.

He stated that if we agreed, the PNSB board would meet and make a decision on this in December 2016.

We agreed to this offer. On Aug 5, 2017, a site visit to the alternative houses in Taman Harmoni was held with the seven buyers and a PSM representative. The visit was productive, and the buyers pointed out some necessary repairs, which PNSB agreed to address.

While the property transfer documents were being processed, we received news that one of the seven buyers could not be offered an alternative house because they had already received compensation.

This was disputed by the buyer, and we are still pursuing this matter, though we prioritised resolving the houses for the remaining six buyers first.

On July 4, 2018, the secretary of the state government approved the proposal to offer replacement houses to six of the seven buyers, and PNSB issued offer letters to these six buyers on Nov 22, 2018. We carefully reviewed the offer before sending the acceptance letter to PNSB on Feb 7, 2019.

As you all know, the country was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused a delay of another two years in resolving this matter.

Finally, yesterday morning, five of the seven families received the keys to their alternative houses. Another family is in the process of resolving matters through their next of kin.

The young boy Muruga, who is now a PSM member, has grown up, while his father, Subramaniam, also a PSM member, sadly passed away last year.

Though these families received their homes in their twilight years, gaining property in the Klang Valley is no easy task.

A few weeks ago, a young man visited me, eager to learn about our struggle. As I explained and showed him the files - this one a 25-year struggle, another one 20 years, and another 30 years - he grew concerned and was traumatised.

He asked how PSM continues to fight despite the odds and not being in power. I gave him my usual smile and a pat on the back.

There are no shortcuts to true victory, and behind every success lies immense struggle and hard work. Struggle we shall. Win we will!

S ARUTCHELVAN is the PSM deputy chairperson.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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