RANAU, April 13 — The state government has decided to blacklist contractors who delay in completing the construction of Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Rumah Mesra.
“The government does not want any delay of completing the houses. There are contractors who are delaying it, hence, they are the ones who would be blacklisted,” said Deputy Chief Minister II, Datuk Seri Panglima Joachim Gunsalam.
Joachim who is also the Local Government and Housing Minister said that they will study the reasons for the delays in constructing the houses, be it due to the weather or distance in location and they (the contractors) will be given special allowances,” he said at the handing over of keys to the SMJ Rumah Mesra at Kg Merungin 2 on April 12.
He added that the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government has undertaken various efforts to assist the poor, including constructing Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Rumah Mesra for those in need.
He also said the effort will be continued to help those in need as long as the GRS State government is governing.
“Each DUN will be allocated 20 SMJ Rumah Mesra and the completed houses are those constructed from 2022,” said Joachim who is also Kundasang State Assemblyman.
Joachim also thanked the State Government for selecting Ranau as the host of the 2024 Sabah State Level Kaamatan Festival launching on May 1.
He said that the executive committee, chaired by the Ranau District Officer, holds meetings every week to prepare for the festival’s launching.
Joachim also said that all government agencies and ethnic associations such as the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA), the United Sabah Dusun Association (USDA), and several other ethnic associations in Ranau are directly involved in the launch of the Kaamatan Festival.
“The launch of the Kaamatan Festival will be held at the Ranau Community Hall, while other activities such as folk sports will take place at the Ranau town field.
“Originally, the launch was supposed to be grand, and we were prepared to use the old airport runway, but after discussions and considering the current situation of rising prices of goods and the people complaining about the rising cost of living, we have taken a modest approach.
“As the representative of the Executive Chairman and all district representatives of Ranau, I invite the entire population of Sabah to witness the launch of the Kaamatan Festival, which will be officiated by the Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Haji Hajiji Haji Noor,” he said after handing over of the SMJ Rumah Mesra house keys near here on April 12. — The Borneo Post
