Anwar: Stop exploiting the urban poor Jed Yoong Stop exploiting the hardcore urban poor. This was Parti Rakyat Keadilan (PKR) special advisor Anwar Ibrahim's message to the government.
He said residents renting government-owned low-cost homes after a period of time should be allowed to buy them. "These homes were built to give the poor a better life. Why is the government collecting rent indefinitely? "This is supposed to empower the urban poor, not to enrich the already wealthy," he said in his speech at a party rally in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur on Sunday night. The New Economic Policy (NEP), first established in 1971, sought to eradicate poverty and end the identification of economic function with ethnicity. In the early 1990s under the New Development Policy a continuation of the NEP - the Development Programme for the Hardcore Poor, or Program Pembangunan Rakyat Termiskin (PPRT), was introduced. It established a register on the profile of hardcore poor households and projects tailored to meet the group's specific needs, including providing government housing. Anwar was the finance minister and the deputy prime minister until his sacking in 1998. Gone overboard Close to 5,000 supporters, including parents with their children, cheered Anwar at the rally. Many expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of improvement in their quality of life, and the widespread government corruption at the expense of the poor. "Mereka (BN) dah melebih (They have gone overboard). They don't care about us (the poor). "We don't want to be thrown out like the squatters in Kampung Berembang if the government decides to develop this area," said a resident. The 30-year-old Kampung Berembang was a recent scene of forcible eviction after the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council tore down some 60 houses, leaving the villagers in a lurch. The village, located less than 10km from the Kuala Lumpur city centre, is to make way for housing development. -------------------------------- Forcible eviction Suhakam mulls inquiry on Kg Berembang fracas Andrew Ong The proposal to conduct a public inquiry into alleged abuse of human rights by Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) during the Kampung Berembang squatter demolition exercise would be deliberated by Suhakam on Monday. Contacted today, Suhakam commissioner N Siva Subramaniam said the proposal was made by human rights group Suaram and Jerit yesterday when the two group submitted a memorandum of complaint on the incident. Suhakam commissioners will propose to the commission that a public inquiry be held on the overuse of force by MPAJ, said Siva when contacted today. He was asked to clarify an earlier report which erroneously implied that the decision to hold the public inquiry had already been made. Kampung Berembang was a scene of chaos and destruction when the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ), backed by Rela, the police and the Federal Reserve Unit, moved in to demolish houses in the village on three occasions - Nov 17, 20 and 30. During the latest incident, MPAJs demolition of s surau and makeshift tents set up by the villagers resulted in fracas with activist and villagers, leaving scores injured and 22 individuals arrested. More proof needed Siva said Suhakam was still waiting for MPAJ to report their side of the story, but urged others to come forward with evidence of violence during the incident. We need proof like video recordings and the names of those detained during the operation to ascertain whether there was any violence involved, said Siva. The 470 residents have been staying in the village - situated less than 10km from the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur - for the past 30 years. Now the village is bereft of proper houses but the villagers are still living there in their temporary homes. Send instant messages to your online friends http://asia.messenger.yahoo.com
