Many argued that the flats’ condition is safe, so why don’t they just move in? Why do they have to suffer like this under tents? They can still continue to pressure for an alternative housing after they move in?
For
the people of Taman Permata Dengkil, this has not been a struggle just
for the past 141 days. This has been a struggle since 1993, when their
management, Golden Hope, told the workers that the government has taken
over the estate land and they can work in any other estate managed by
Golden Hope. The workers protested and demanded alternative housing,
terrace houses.Twenty years have passed, and there has been no changes to their demand, which is still the same. The hope and struggle still remains.
According to news report on Sept 19, 1994 in The Star, then-Selangor menteri besar Muhammad Taib said that compensation of houses or land can be given to the people. All the developers involved - Shah Alam Properties, the Selangor Economic Development Corperation (PKNS) and Consortium Sepang - should be involved with the government in providing the compensation to the workers.
The Star also reported on Dec 7, 1996 that the then-Selangor State Estate Housing Unity and Consumer Affairs Committee chairperson S Rajagopal had suggested that the people be transferred to longhouses until the low-cost houses were completed. There was also support from other state representatives like Ee Kim Hock (Telok Dato assemblyperson) who told the state government to build low-cost house for the evicted workers.
The Sun reported on Oct 7, 1997, that Dr Mahathir Mohamad (the prime minister then) proudly launched Putrajaya covering 4,581ha, housing 76,000 staff members, 300,000 residents in 67,000 houses, 10,000 of which are low-cost houses. But none were for the workers of these four estates who toiled for generations on the land to build the nation economically.
Beginning
from 1998, water and electricity supplies were cut off occasionally.
Some workers left. Empty houses were demolished. If you speak to some
workers, they would also say that the army was brought in to evict
them. One year afterwards, around the month of August 1999, approximately 400 families from Prang Besar, Sedgeley, Medingley and Galloway were transferred to the Taman Permata Dengkil flats, for which they had to pay RM18,000 for each unit.
The five blocks in Taman Permata were neat. Well, all new stuff will look great in the beginning. In 2001, people started to witness cracks in the walls of their houses. In 2003, the first-ever flood happened there. Residents still keep pictures of people moving around during the flood waters which were almost at their waist level.
The Taman Permata folk are used to floods nowadays. They can share stories about travelling on boats during the floods. Imagine, flooding at flats houses, that is how bad things are here.
Cracks and tremors
The recent crack and tremors felt at Block 5 on June 11, 2013, was the last straw. The residents decided that they had to launch a long-term struggle to get proper housing, if not they will have to continue to live in fear day in day out. Decent housing is all they ask as the current status of the place they call home is in such a bad condition that even using the toilet in the house is a struggle as water overflows from the toilet to the living room through the walls.
Protests
and more protests at Prime Minister’s Office and the Housing Ministry
in Putrajaya ensured the voices of the people were heard. Now all
relevant parties are involved in resolving the housing crisis of the
people. This was achieved after the ex-plantation workers had many times
held up placards, chanted slogans, held meetings and so on.On the Sept 28, the residents invited both the state and the federal government to have a dialogue in their tent in Taman Permata Dengkil. This was a great initiative by the residents to bring together the ruling government together with people of different ideologies.
It
was a good discussion but there was no new outcome. The federal
government requests the exact amount of land from the state, the state
government requests an undertaking from the federal government to build
the houses.However, the people are not giving up. The hope and struggle remains strong and burning.
The tents have been a symbol of struggle for alternative housing for more than four months now. Some have gone back to their homes. Some are keeping up the fight. People organise themselves. They build places to sleep in tents. They cook in a community and taste the food together. Now they even have build their own toilets.
The festival of lights, Deepavali, will be a different kind of celebration for the residents of Taman Permata this year.
As we enjoy the celebration with our families in a nice environment, as the leaders of the country have open houses, as others safely stay in their houses without fear that it might collapse, this community of people in Taman Permata Dengkil will be celebrating it with thoughts of fighting for a decent house and thinking whether will this festival of lights light up their life?
Anyway the hope and struggle still remains for a better housing with a conducive environment for at least their future generation.
Hopefully the festival of lights will light up the hearts of the government to provide a decent housing for the ex-plantation workers who toiled to build the wealth of the nation.
Happy Deepavali from the residents of Taman Permata Dengkil.
R THEVARAJAN is the coordinator for Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (Jerit).
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