By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Nov 30: The Borneo Samariang Garden housing project’s new expected completion date in September 2023 is “not justifiable” since it is almost 95 per cent done, opines Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen.
He said the expected completion date of Phase 5 is another 10 months to go and he believed it should be a lot shorter with the new main contractor assigned.
As for the loan moratorium for Borneo Samariang Garden house purchasers, Chong held that the new offer is unfair to the buyers because interests would continue to be charged during a moratorium.
“That will, at the end of the day, only lengthen the period of repayment of the loan,” he said, adding that the Sarawak government could come up with better offers to help the purchasers who had fallen victim to the previously-abandoned housing project.
Chong said this when he interjected the ministerial winding-up speech by Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Compex today.
Dr Sim had earlier reported that following a special meeting held on June 14, the Public Sector Housing Financing Board (LPPPSA) and Borneo Mortgage Financial Berhad have agreed to offer three options to the loanees of Borneo Samariang Garden.
The first option is a loan moratorium for a period of 6 to 12 months, will be closed on Dec 31, 2022.
“The second option is a loan restructuring for a maximum period of two years or until the completion of the housing project.
“The third option offered by LPPSA is to cancel the loan. The details of these options are available to all the affected house buyers from their respective financial institutions,” he said.
Responding to Chong, Dr Sim said his comments are kindly noted and assured that the Sarawak government would try its best to help the house buyers.
“We will take note of your comments and we will try to see what else we ca do because a lot of civil servants, even those in ministry, actually proposed the property.
“It’s not as if we don’t want to help. In fact, the (meeting with the) bank was so tough. They initially wanted us (the Sarawak government) to take over the entire loan, using the taxpayers’ money,” said Dr Sim. — DayakDaily
