Last week, it was reported that there were houses that were torn down in Kampung Sri Makmur, Gombak, after the residents there were given RM1,000 as compensation to move out within a couple of days.
Apparently, the Selangor MB promised the residents alternative housing but didn’t follow through, and not all of the residents received the RM1,000 compensation.
Now, according to Sinar Harian, a family has become homeless because of the incident and the father of the family is sleeping under a flyover in a tent after having lost the home that was passed down to him by his parents in the demolition of the houses.
40-year-old Mohd Hamdan Ghazali, who supports his family by selling burgers, said his wife and 2 children, aged 2-years-old and 10-months-old, were taken in by his sister-in-law.
“My sister-in-law also has many children so I only sent my wife, who is 5 months pregnant, and my children there, while I live under the flyover. I have been trying to find a house to rent, but I am unable to provide deposit money because my income at the moment is just enough to cover milk and disposable diapers for my children,”
“I just started my own business 6 months after my contract as an electrician was not renewed by my employer. My wife used to work but I asked her to stop to take care of the children. After she stopped working, our house was demolished,” he shared.
His family isn’t the only one affected by the demolitions.Â
41-year-old food deliveryman, Mohamad Ali Osman conveyed his hopes that the housing issue will be resolved before his kids start school tomorrow (June 4).
“As a father, I feel like a failure if I see my wife and children continue to live as homeless people like this. I’m looking for a rental house around Sri Gombak since my children go to school there, but the rental rates are expensive, for a budget of RM700, it’s a bit far from here,”
“I don’t have the ability to arrange a deposit, but I can’t let my children go on like this and have to get them out (of this situation), so I will try to borrow (money) from friends,” he said.
Another resident, 40-year-old Nur Zaitul Faridah Sulaiman, is hoping the government and the authorities will help those who are now homeless because of the demolitions.
“I am in trouble, my husband has health problems and needs to undergo dialysis, 1 of my children has leukemia and another is differently-abled (OKU) with hearing problems, and I am supporting my eldest son who is studying in a university. Even though my husband is sick, he still works as a security guard,”
“At the moment, I don’t have the ability to prepare deposits for house rental with my husband’s salary of around RM2,700, due to many commitments. I just hope that the government can provide us with a replacement house, we will try to deal with the issue of rent and monthly payment later,” she explained.
Since the demolition, she too has spent her nights under the flyover due to being homeless.
What’s most saddening about this is all the children that are being affected due to the demolition of the houses due to the land being sold for development.
We genuinely hope that the authorities can figure out a way to house these underprivileged people so that they can get back on their feet.
What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
Also read: Former Homeless Mâsian Returns to Volunteer With Soup Kitchen That Helped Him Get Back on His Feet
