The Penang state government has been urged to provide homes at a nominal price to former estate workers and those displaced from other estates
Urumai chairman P Ramasamy praised the state government for honouring its pledge to provide free housing to the 23 families in Ladang Sungai Kecil in Nibong Tebal, but said the state should also show kindness to other Indian families that have “toiled for generations” in estates across Penang.
He said chief minister Chow Kon Yeow was well aware of the plight of former plantation workers in the state.
“Let not overzealous, pro-capitalist elements in the administration prioritise profit over the welfare and dignity of the workers,” he said in a Facebook post. “If the former Caledonia Estate workers were able to purchase low-cost terrace houses for as little as RM10, I fail to see why the same principle cannot be applied to Ladang Sungai Kechil.”
Earlier today, Chow said the state government will provide houses in a state-backed development project to 23 families at the Sungai Kechil estate who were facing eviction. Each family will receive a three-bedroom single-storey terrace house of 750 sq ft with parking space in front.
In 2019, Penang Chief Minister Inc also signed a deal with the Eco World group to build 272 single-storey, low-cost homes and amenities for families of workers living as squatters in Caledonia estate.
