KOTA KINABALU: The 106 families rendered homeless by a fire at Kg Gusung, Likas will be relocated to a two-storey government-owned building at Cenderakasih, Kolombong this Thursday.
Minister of Community Development and Consumer Affairs Datuk Jainab Datuk Haji Mohd Ayid said her Community Development Leader Unit (UPPM) officers, City Hall and the relevant government agencies had a meeting on Monday to discuss ways to assist the fire victims and the proposal to move the villagers to the building at Cenderakasih was raised.
Jainab said a total of 518 victims from 106 households were affected when their homes, 72 units in total, were gutted in the blaze last Saturday.
The victims are currently seeking shelter at Dewan Likas.
At present, Jainab said City Hall was repairing the toilets at the building and collapsible partitions would also be provided to give the victims some privacy during their stay there, adding that the relevant departments would apply for funding from the federal welfare to acquire the partitions.
Jainab said the building at Cendrakasih was provided for all 106 households, but she also welcomed the victims to rent their own accommodation because the building was only a temporary shelter.
“Whoever wants to rent (accommodation), at Taman Jaya Diri, Telipok Ria or other places, we will work with real estate agencies to seek available accommodation.”
She added that better development would be planned for the location where the fire happened at Kg Gusung.
Jainab said this in a press conference after distributing essential items and financial aid to the fire victims at Dewan Likas here yesterday. Each household received RM1,000 financial aid from zakat and an undisclosed amount from the Welfare Department for them to buy daily essential items.
Representatives from Sabah Gerakan and Giant Hypermarket were also present to give away essential goods to the victims.
Jainab revealed that the biggest challenge was the sensitivity involved in rebuilding homes for the fire victims.
She said the government could not rebuild homes for the fire victims at Kg Gusung when the accommodation for fire victims as far back as 2004 had yet to be resolved.
“We must understand and take into account the sensitivity. I hope the fire victims (at Kg Gusung) will understand.”
For the long term, Jainab said her ministry had requested the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to provide flats for the fire victims to rent, provided the victims were ready to do so.
Jainab said she had discussed with the Welfare Department to give the fire victims RM 2,000 in cash to pay the deposit for rented property like flats rather than providing the fire victims building materials worth that amount to rebuild their homes.
She added that RM 2,000 worth of building materials such as wood was insufficient for the victims to rebuild their homes as well.
“We should think out of the box. Instead of asking them to build a kandang kambing (goat pen, referring to a poorly built home), we should encourage them to stay in rental properties, and use the RM 2,000 to pay for the deposit, and let them keep the remaining balance.”
At the same time, Jainab said she had discussed with the Sabah Lands and Surveys Department and Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government to build more affordable flats for squatters and fire victims.
She said the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan had asked her to do a working paper on the proposal, which she was in the process of doing with an officer from the Sabah Lands and Surveys Department.
On the other hand, Jainab said it was the fourth time a fire had broken out in the area.
According to Jainab, the latest fire at Kg Gusung was due to negligence. She said a villager was cooking and simultaneously fiddling with the social media Whatsapp. When the fire broke out, the villager fled without notifying the neighbours.
She said it was high time to raise awareness and strengthen the will to help each other out.
She pointed out that if the fire was put under control earlier on, it would not have spread and destroyed 72 houses and affected 106 households.
Earlier, Jainab said she had proposed to the agencies under her ministry to practise the ‘gold standard’ flood preparations in Kemaman as described by the Prime Minister.
“We can expand the gold standard of flood preparations to disasters in Sabah, to do (preparation) work for before, during and after a disaster.”
For the time being, Jainab said they had regulations and plans for the fire victims, including engaging the Health Department to teach the victims about household cleanliness, cooking and beads making classes for women, safety awareness programmes conducted by the Water Department, Fire and Rescue Services Department and Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB).
She said a mobile library would also be provided for school children as well as access to free Internet.
Jainab believed that if the number of disasters could be reduced, the allocation could be channeled to more well-planned developments.
She also hoped that the private sector could lend mobile toilets to the fire victims at Dewan Likas as the current number of toilets were insufficient.
Meanwhile, Sabah Gerakan vice president Chan Shui Kiong said the party had donated diapers and milk powder for the fire victims.
He added that WSG Group managing director Datuk Susan Wong had also donated 200 cartons of mineral water to the victims through the party.
Also present at the event were permanent secretary to the Ministry of Community Development and Consumer Affairs Datuk Hjh Siti Sapoo, Sabah Welfare Department director Mohd Noor Wahab, head of Giant East Malaysia and Brunei Marius Knight, Sabah Gerakan vice treasurer Kong Yu Kiong, Sabah Gerakan Putatan division chairman Jimmy Sim, Youth secretary Kent Sih, branch Youth chief Vincent Leong and service counter member Zee Yong Mei.