PETAGAS Assemblyman Datuk Awang Ahmad Sah Sahari has proposed that the State Government build Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) houses in multi-storey buildings to address land constraints in the area.
He said the move is necessary as the Petagas constituency, a suburban area, is becoming increasingly densely populated, with the number of residents estimated to have reached 100,000 people.
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He said this makes it difficult to implement the conventional one-unit-per-lot SMJ housing concept.
“If we continue using the single-unit housing concept, we will no longer have sufficient land capacity to meet the demand from the poor who need housing.
“Besides facing land constraints, a large number of eligible recipients also do not own land, which further complicates the distribution of SMJ housing benefits.
“Therefore, I propose that the government consider building multi-storey SMJ housing, similar to the People’s Housing Project (PPR) concept, so that more people can be assisted within a given area,” he said.
He also compared the situation in the Tanjung Aru constituency, which last year was only able to build about three to four SMJ housing units due to land shortages.
He said a new approach, including vertical development, is necessary to ensure that the people’s housing agenda under the SMJ initiative can continue to be implemented effectively in densely populated areas.
At the same time, Awang Ahmad said his constituency also facing other constraints, such as limits on the number of SMJ houses allowed to be built on previously approved reserve land.
He said the land approved in Lok Kawi and Kg Papazon was intended to address the lack of land ownership among SMJ housing recipients in Petagas.
“Over the past three years, Petagas has seen rapid progress in SMJ housing construction, thanks to the support of various parties, particularly the Sabah Lands and Surveys Department (JTU) and local leaders.
“However, these efforts face constraints from the Ministry of Rural Development (KPLB), particularly in terms of limits on the number of houses allowed to be built on the approved reserve land.
“We have already carried out land filling works at an approximately eight-acre site in Lok Kawi at a cost exceeding RM100,000, and it is ready for development, but initially only five housing units were approved,” he said.
Awang Ahmad added that after several rounds of meetings with the KPLB, the number was increased to eight and later to 15 units, although the site could accommodate at least 35 SMJ houses.
He said a similar situation occurred in Kg Papazon, where the prepared site could potentially house up to 18 units, but current approval is only around 11 to 12 units.
“I hope the State government and the Minister of Rural Development can advise and guide the relevant staff to be more flexible in considering the number of SMJ houses to be built based on the actual capacity of the land,” he said.
