Gerakan Holds Rally Over Penang Low Cost Housing

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Penang Gerakan held a brief rally at Taman Manggis along Jalan Burma on the island condemning the state government for refusing to build low-cost housing (know by its Malay acronym, PPR)
The small group led by state Gerakan chairperson Oh Tong Keong carried banners with the words, "Penang became an abandoned child after PH became government", "Private hospital is not for the rakyat" and "We do not want a new hospital, we want PPR"
Oh accused the Penang government of allegedly being the first state government to stop building homes for the poor
He called on the state exco for housing Jagdeep Singh to "look in the mirror" saying the DAP did not only stop building PPR but also cancelled such projects after taking over Penang in 2008

Oh was referring to Jagdeep who had expressed anger at the federal government's new plan to stop building low-cost housing
When contacted, Jagdeep said it was a lie to say Penang refused to build homes for the poor when such projects were the responsibility of the federal government
"So naturally I was angry when the federal minister said that they will not be building anymore PPR. Why was I angry? Because it is their responsibility to do so," Jagdeep told Malaysiakini
Oh Tong KeongHe was then responding to Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow who had received a letter from Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin, stating that PPR projects would be rebranded and no longer be built
Jagdeep had expressed hope the federal government will use part of the people's taxes to build PPR projects under Budget 2020
The second phase of the Taman Manggis PPR was sold to a private company in 2010 which planned to build a dental hospital and a hotel on the plot of land
It is learnt that the company needs to obtain a license from the Health Ministry before it can run a hospital or hotel for patients' families on the site
"It is understood that this Friday (Oct 11) is the groundbreaking ceremony of the Taman Manggis Hotel and Hospital," said Oh
To which Jagdeep replied, "It's an old story"
Previously, the BN state government approved the construction of the first and second phases of the Taman Manggis PPR project in 2003
In 2005, the first phase of the low-cost flats was completed and 320 families moved in from 2006 to 2007
Oh recalled that the second phase of Taman Manggis was originally planned for 272 PPR units
Jagdeep Singh"Unfortunately, after DAP took over Penang in 2008, it sold the lot to the consortium to build the hotel and hospital which ruined the dream of the poor in Penang," Oh said
“The 24-storey hotel and hospital mixed development to be built in Taman Manggis with a high-end private hospital, hotel accommodation and swimming pool are in sharp contrast with the needs of the poor," Oh noted
In 2016, the Penang government released a FAQ (frequently asked questions) list on Taman Manggis which revealed that declassified state exco minutes in 2005 showed that the BN state government had wanted to tender out the land to private developers for mixed-development projects with shophouses and government quarters
It said exco minutes in 2007 showed that the BN state government had rejected the federal government’s application to build public housing at Taman Manggis
In 2010, the Kuala Lumpur International Dental Centre (KLIDC) purchased the one-acre land which was earmarked as "future development" via an open tender.  to build a hospital to promote medical tourism
For public and affordable housing, the Penang state government said it has allocated another 11-acre piece of land in Jalan SP Chelliah. - Mkini

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