Tiang (second left) receives the Structural Assessment Report for the collapsed shophouses from Ho while Sii (left) and Rania look on.
SIBU (Aug 7): The Sarawak government will use the collapse of the eight-unit row of shophouses at Jalan Pahlawan on Feb 13 as a case study, while providing full support to stakeholders in their rebuilding efforts, said State Deputy Public Health, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Michael Tiang.
Tiang described the incident as unfortunate and highly unusual, saying it had caught both the affected shophouse owners and the public by surprise.
He said such an incident had never occurred in Sibu’s 100-year history, highlighting the need for a thorough investigation before any rebuilding works could proceed.
The shophouse owners, he said, had taken the initiative to engage relevant experts to investigate the cause of the collapse.
“Investigation takes time and they not only have to investigate the collapse condition but they will demolish it and investigate it further, deeper as to the reasons of the collapse.
“As such, I urge the public to remain patient and wait for the shopowners and the relevant authorities that have already come together to work out an amicable solution,” he told a press conference here.
Also present were lawyer Boston Ho, who represents the shophouse owners, lawyer Sii Yew Nei and intern Rania Teoni.
Earlier, Ho outlined four requests from the shophouse owners for government assistance in the rebuilding process.
On the request for the state government to assist with infrastructure works, including the car park and drainage system, while the owners undertake demolition works, Tiang said he was prepared to provide support.
“I believe that I have already made it clear to them that I will commit myself to take care of the infrastructure project, including the drainage and car park,” he said.
Tiang said the rebuilding efforts would involve two components — the shophouse structure itself and the surrounding public infrastructure.
“On the public area, I will use my funds to assist the shophouse owners in their rebuilding efforts so as to lighten their financial capabilities,” he said.
On financial assistance, Tiang said he had approached several banks to explore the possibility of providing soft loan packages with lower interest rates for the affected owners.
“I have yet to receive a reply from the bank and they said they might look into it. I have also told the bank that this can be their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project and in a way, will also give the bank a good corporate image in lending a helping hand,” he said.
He said rebuilding the shophouses was important as the area was prominent and the building itself could serve as collateral for any soft loan package.
On the proposed One Stop Special Task Force to oversee demolition and rebuilding works, Tiang said the Sibu Resident Office was currently the relevant authority coordinating the matter together with other government agencies.
However, he assured that efforts would be made to bring together relevant agencies, including the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC), Land and Survey Department, Sarawak Energy and Sarawak Water, to expedite approvals for building and engineering plans, public utilities and State Planning Authority (SPA) processes.
This will allow the government to learn from this case and establish a precedent for future reference on how the government machinery can be activated quickly to provide assistance, he added.
On the fourth request by the shophouse owners for an extension of time to complete the demolition works, Tiang said there should be no issue.
“I believe SMC will not object for you to complete the demolition of the collapsed building from August to October,” said Tiang.