PETALING JAYA, Sept 14 — The Housing and Local Government Ministry is set to implement a voluntary babysitting programme for residents at People’s Housing Projects (PPR), after a four-year-old girl fell to her death from her 17th floor home in Kota Damansara, yesterday.
Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said there was a need for a support system for the B40 group and her ministry will include the programme in its National Community Policy (NCP) to lighten the burden faced by them.
“This is not a problem about the house or the children but an issue for the low-cost residence community who are unable to afford a babysitter to look after their children.
“These people depended on their own children to look after their siblings while they eke out a living elsewhere,” she said during a visit to the family of the victim at their home at PPR Kota Damansara here.
Siti Nur Nadhirah Khairul Anuar died after falling from the balcony of her home. She had used a plastic chair to climb up.
During the incident, her parents were away selling nasi lemak in Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam and her 14-year-old sister, Siti Nur Natasya, was sending her seven-year-old brother to a kindergarten in the vicinity.
Zuraida said the programme is expected to be launched by the end of September and is also aimed at fostering communal spirit among PPR residents.
“Under this community support system, stay-at-home mothers in the community could volunteer to look after young children when their parents are not around.
“The centre will operate for several hours daily depending on the needs of residents at the respective flats and every parents enrolled as volunteers will be given incentives,” she said, adding that the incentives scheme would be drawn up by the ministry.
A total of four similar mishaps have been reported since 2008. Past incidents were blamed on rusty balcony railings, but Zuraida said that the condition of the building was not the cause in this particular incident.
“We are also against installing more grills in their homes to make it seem like a jail...instead we need get to the root of the problem.
“There are no structural shortcomings but the inability of B40 families to handle their family and household matters due to the difficulties they face in making an honest living,” she said.
The B40 group refers to the bottom 40 per cent of wage earners in the country.
Zuraida said a pilot study had been conducted at PPR Sentul and another PPR complex in Kelantan with the hope of extending the programme to 20 PPRs nationwide beginning October.
“In light of this tragedy and to avoid recurrence of any untoward incidents, I hope this programme will receive the support and active participation of the local community,” she said.
