Steven Chen
Some 100 house buyers staged a protest in the vicinity of an abandoned housing project, Taman Desa Kempas, here, recently.
In less than a week, Komunitikini citizen journalists have uncovered and reported on two major abandoned housing projects in Johor Bahru meant for the middle to lower income groups, making this the third so far.
The Taman Desa Kempas housing project started in 11 years ago and remains uncompleted.
Housewife, Arihasni Ariffin, 33, said, many of the affected house buyers are burdened financially as a result of the housing developer failing to complete the project on time as stated in the sale and purchase agreement.
“I bought the house costing RM80,000 and have been paying RM380 a month for my housing loan and on top of that, I have to pay RM450 a month for renting a house in Taman Bukit Kempas, here,” she added.
“I am sick and tired of looking at the uncompleted house and also the waiting,” lamented Arihasni.
She said that, up till now, the house buyers don’t really know when the developer is going to complete and hand over the house to them and urged the relevant government authorities to resolve the problem.
House buyer, Chan Hwa Nong, 38, a hairstylist, said she bought the house costing RM22,000 in year 2000 and has been servicing her bank loan since.
“The housing developer has not been forthcoming with a firm answer each time I enquire about the status of the house completion date,” she said, adding that she had to queue up for seven hours just to sign up to purchase the house.
“I have been staying in a rented house in Taman Desa Tebrau for RM350 a month,” she said with a sigh.
Another house buyer, R. Linggam, 56, who works in a security company in Singapore, said, he bought the RM80,000 in 2001 but has never gotten to stay in the house.
He said “I have been staying with my children in Taman Kempas Indah since then till now and is still paying for the uncompleted house of RM350 a month.”
“The housing developer promised the house buyers that they will compensate the house buyers for the delay when the housing project is completed,” Linggan said.
Also present at the protest demonstration were Johor Bahru public complaints centre officer-in-charge, Syed Othman Syed Abdullah, and Johor PAS youth chief, Suhaizan Kaiat.
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