Norazlinah Arif
KUNAK (April 14): The proposal to resettle the more than 2,500 squatter population who are staying at the Housing and Urban Development Board (LPPB) at Kampung Bagiang and Kunak Jaya has yet to reach a solution.
However, the discussion between LPPB and Kunak assemblywoman Norazlinah Arif went to another new alternative which is to provide two resettlement locations at Kg Hampilan and next to Sungai Kunak Jaya if they were to move.
LPPB wants the squatter colonies to be resettled soon to enable the commercialisation of the two villages, while Norazlinah wants Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor to intervene for a solution to the issue.
A meeting was held at the Kunak Secretariat office recently involving LPPB led by its chairman, Datuk Masiung Banah and General Manager Rosemary Ahping as well as Norazlinah and district officer Awang Mohd Yusoff.
Also attending the meeting were representatives from the Land and Surveys Department, Forestry Department and local government.
Masiung provided his guarantee that LPPB will give its full cooperation for the resettlement of the squatter colonies at the two new locations proposed which are Kg Hampilan and next to Sungai Kunak Jaya.
“I am aware there will be various controversies in the effort to resettle the squatter colonies. But I hope there is a holistic solution that can be attained through discussions,” he said.
Meanwhile, Norazlinah, when met at the proposed new resettlement site for the squatters, wants LPPB to build flats for the resettlement of those resettled.
She wants priority to be given to the building of the flats.
She also demands that the State Government maintains the status of Kg Bagiang and Kunak Jaya as Kampung reserves.
“I shall meet with the Chief Minister in the near future to solve this issue. I will submit the proposal so that the government will prepare a new site for the LPPB as an alternative so that the two squatter villages will remain,” she explained.
Norazlinah felt that it was strange that LPPB acquired the title for the traditional kampung site in 1990 at Kampung Kunak Jaya and 1998 at Bagiang when the villagers have applied for the kampung site since early 1970s.
“I was born and bred in Kampung Bagiang. I know the efforts of our ancestors to apply for the kampung site since the early 1970s,” she said.
Norazlinah claims that presently there are 400 houses at Kampung Bagiang and more than 100 houses in Kunak Jaya that had been built whereby 90 percent of the people are locals.