: Two homeowners in Satok have expressed their sincere appreciation to the government after their homes were repaired under the state-funded Program Penambahbaikan Rumah Rakyat Miskin Sarawak (MRP-PPRMS).
Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy secretary-general Ibrahim Baki and political secretary to the chief minister Abdul Samad Ghani visited the two homes for a symbolic handover of the MRP-PPRMS project plaques at Nian Osman’s home in Kampung Bintangor Besar and Siti Kartina Boyd at Kampung Masjid along Jalan Datuk Ajibah Abol here, yesterday.
During their visit, they were informed about the repair work that had been carried out by the project contractor, Syarikat Pembinaan Kemuncak Emas.
“For Nian’s house, we repaired the floor, walls, stairs, as well as the roof and ceiling as previously, rain could get into the house,” said the representative from Syarikat Pembinaan Kemuncak Emas.
According to him, major issues faced in Siti’s home were the floor and piling. He also pointed out that they had changed some of the roof tiles to clear tiles to allow more natural light to enter the rooms.
“These repair works are also important for the safety of the homeowners,” he stated.
The repair work on Nian’s home started on July 5 and was completed on July 30, while Siti’s home improvement project started on July 5 and was completed on August 1.
Nian, 73, who lives alone, voiced her happiness at her home improvements. “I like it very much, and I am so thankful to the government for its efforts,” she said.
Siti, 59, highlighted that as her family’s income was low, the aid provided was very much appreciated. She revealed that when her home was selected under the MRP-PPRMS programme, she was very touched. The repair work had greatly eased the burden on her family, Siti said.
“The fact that the government gave us a helping hand with this programme shows that it was close to the community and aware of the problems we faced,” she remarked.
“Hidup GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak)!” Siti exclaimed, adding that she hoped for continuous progress in Sarawak.
Ibrahim stated that areas all over Sarawak were involved in the MRP-PPRMS project, and in the Satok area, the project started earlier this year. According to him, the project involves two phases, the first of which encompassed about 30 houses including the two that were visited yesterday.
He disclosed that the next phase would begin next month, thus bringing the total number of houses improved in the Satok region to around 65.
“RM500,000 was budgeted for the first phase and another RM500,000 for the second phase. One house is allocated about RM15,000, give or take, for repairs.
“This is one of the responsibilities of the state government — to help the less fortunate people of the community in terms of housing, not to mention roads, water, electricity and so on,” Ibrahim said, emphasising that the MRP-PPRMS programme was the initiative of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Touching on the application process for homes which required repairs, he said that homeowners made their requests by filling in the relevant application forms. After that, assessments of the homes
were carried out to determine eligibility for the subsidised repairs.
“Then, consultants evaluate the homes to see what should be done,” Ibrahim said, adding that transparency was applied by randomly drawing potential consultants and contractors.
“This project shows that GPS fulfils its promises,” he stressed.
