GEORGE TOWN, Oct 31 — About 80 tenants from the Ampang Jajar people’s housing project (PPR) in Butterworth today handed over a letter to the Penang state government appealing for a reprieve from eviction.
One of the tenants, Ibrahim Md Din, said they are only appealing for the government to review its decision to evict them from the PPR flats.
“We are only asking to meet with state government representatives to resolve the issues faced by about 80 tenants who were issued eviction letters early last month,” he told reporters before handing over the letter.
He claimed that all of the tenants do not have anywhere else to go as they cannot afford to rent another place.
“We only want to be heard because all of us are low-income earners with salaries of about RM1,000 and we have families and dependents to support,” he said.
Ibrahim said the 80 tenants were given until today to vacate the premises of the PPR units.
“This is why we are handing over the appeal letter today to the state government to consider our request for a reprieve,” he said.
Ibrahim and about 15 other tenants gathered on the mezzanine floor of Komtar today and handed over the appeal letter to Senior Principal Assistant Secretary Akhmal Abu Basar.
In the appeal letter, the tenants are requesting for the eviction notice to be cancelled and a review of the housing guidelines for those in the low-income group.
Ibrahim hoped the state government will consider their appeal.
He said one of the conditions for PPR applications is that the tenant must have an income of below RM750 per person or below RM1,500 per household.
“This does not reflect the reality of today,” he said.
He said many of the tenants in PPR are security guards, factory operators and labourers with an income of about RM1,000, which made them ineligible for PPR housing.
He hoped the state will follow the same eligibility guidelines as the federal government where those earning below RM3,000 per household are still eligible for PPR housing.
Ibrahim said the 80 tenants received eviction notices due to their income level, some were homeowners, some were blacklisted due to arrears in rental and some were not registered voters in Penang.
“Some were evicted just because they were not listed as voters in the Bagan parliamentary constituency,” he claimed.
When contacted, state local government and housing development committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said he will request for a report on the issue from the housing department first.
