Frustrated long house folk picket against state govt

Despite assurances, PJS 1 residents say state government has done nothing to alleviate their woes with a developer who wants them out of their homes.

PETALING JAYA: Fed-up by the apathy of authorities, about 30 residents of long houses in Petaling Jaya Selatan 1 held a peaceful demonstration near their homes yesterday.

They claimed that the Selangor state government and Petaling Jaya Selatan MP, Hee Loy Sean, had turned their backs on their suffering, leaving them with no choice but to protest.

The families were promised low-cost flats in 2000 by a developer of a condominium project and many have been paying their monthly instalments for the yet-to-be completed project.

Peter’s Brickworks Sdn Bhd, they claimed, intentionally clogged drains behind their houses, causing sewage water to flood their homes whenever it rained, in an attempt to get rid of themOn March 15, Petaling Jaya Selatan MP Hee Loy Sean visited the long house residents with repeated pledges and assurances that the problem would be looked into.

Selangor state councillor, Iskandar Abdul Samad, said his officers would ensure the developer cleaned up the clogged drains on March 17 but nothing had been done.

Block E Residents Action Committee chairman M Sugumaran said no one from the state government came to see them on March 17 to ensure the developer had done his job.

“Even Hee was upset when I told him that we were going to demonstrate.When I asked why he did not come to help us after his visit on March 15, Hee said he was upset as some residents had criticised him on that day,” said Sugumaran.

Sugumaran said though he understood that some residents may have irked Hee, the former said that as MP, Hee should be able to handle criticism.

“Our flats are not built till today. So, obviously the people were upset. If you can’t take heat then why are you an MP? As an elected representative, you should try to understand the people’s predicament,” he said.

Sugumaran said the residents are continuously undergoing harrassment by the developer’s staff. “We are now living in fear,” he added.