Yahya helping out with the cleaning of a drain in the village.
PUTATAN: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin yesterday expressed his concern about non-local squatters moving into Kampung Tebongon near here.
Yahya, who is also the Petagas assemblyman, wants the Kampung Tebongon’s village head to carry out a census in the village to find out how many non-locals are residing there.
Yahya, when met at a gotong royong in Kampung Tebongon yesterday, pointed out that the residents there are actually squatters as their houses were built on the river bank and a road reserve.
However, he is concerned over the increasing number of houses there and the fact that many of the ‘new’ residents are non-locals.
“It seems that the locals are outnumbered and that is the problem here. So I would like the village head to set up a special committee to address this issue of non-locals coming and building their houses in this village.
“The committee must conduct a census on the houses and the occupants so that they know who have been residing in the village and who the newcomers are… otherwise we will never know who have just recently moved in as the number of residents is increasing daily,” he stressed.
The Agriculture and Food Industry Minister also reminded villagers in Putatan to do their bit to prevent the spread of dengue and other diseases by keeping the residential compounds clean.
Following the increase in dengue cases nationwide, Yahya said that house owners must make sure that they do not have Aedes mosquito breeding places in their compounds such as empty cans, unused tyres or empty containers that can store water.
“If we keep our compound clean, we only prevent disease-carrying insects and vermin from breeding, but also enjoy a better living environment,” Yahya said.
In his speech earlier, Yahya urged the villagers to play their role in helping the government to maintain cleanliness of the area.
According to him, the government provides the basic infrastructure for the rakyat so that they have better living conditions but it is up to them to do their part by ensuring that their village and surrounding areas are clean.
“We are all aware that disease-carrying insects and vermin breed in dirty and unhygienic places and this situation is dangerous to us so we must do all we can to prevent this,” Yahya said.
He also lauded the villagers’ efforts to hold the gotong-royong which not only serves as a community service towards cleanliness, but also as a platform to foster new ties and strengthen existing ones.
“Gotong-royong is also a platform for the residents to get to know their neighbours,” he said, adding, “at least by knowing our neighbours we can help reduce crime in the village.