Suhaili (third from left) inspecting one of the seven dilapidated houses in Labuan on Saturday.
LABUAN: Owners of seven dilapidated houses on the duty-free-island here received immediate assistance of RM140,000 each for repairs from the Prime Minister’s special fund.
The special assistance of RM20,000 for each house was presented by Labuan Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chief Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman on Saturday.
A group of local media representatives was invited to join to thoroughly check the condition of the seven houses situated in Kampung Patau-Patau 2, Kg Belukut, Kg Lubok Temiang, Sg Lada and Rancha-Rancha among others.
Suhaili said the houses involved are those houses that had received the government’s housing assistance project (Projek Bantuan Rumah) in 2008, and thereafter, and since then, had not obtained further assistance.
“These houses are in a dilapidated condition that anytime will collapse to the ground, all these houses are occupied by elderly who are undergoing medical treatment and certainly need assistance be it from the government or welfare-related non-governmental organisations,” he said to reporters during his visit to one of the Prime Minister’s fund recipients at Kg Lajau here on Saturday.
Suhaili appealed to the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council Zakat Collection Centre (PPZ-MAIWP) to come and visit these houses for necessary assistance.
“There are houses that are urgently required for reconstruction and some to undergo major repair works. We will ensure the repair works run immediately and are completed before Aidilfitri,” he said.
Suhaili also said three fishmongers operating in Kampung Sungai Miri, Tanjung Aru Nelayan and Sungai Buton would also receive assistance (from the special fund) to construct concrete fish stalls at their existing site.
“I and our group are also able to present ‘kurma’ to street vendors in conjunction with Ramadan month.
“Next week a total of 500 food baskets will be distributed to the targeted families whose daily income rely on stall business and badly hit by the ongoing movement restriction,” he said.