Help buyers by quickly declaring ailing projects as abandoned, says Warisan VP

KOTA KINABALU: The state government must make a decision regarding three other ailing housing projects following its recent declaration that the Pacific Heights condominium project in Likas was abandoned.

Parti Warisan vice-president Datuk Junz Wong said the housing projects in Penampang, Papar, and Lahad Datu districts needed an immediate decision to be classified as abandoned.

He said he had highlighted the issue during the state assembly meeting because it was important for the state to step in and declare such projects abandoned to assist buyers.

“Such declarations are crucial to ease buyers’ financial burdens,” he said in a statement on Saturday (June 8).

Wong lauded the state Local Government and Housing Ministry for declaring the Pacific Heights project abandoned, adding that the ministry should seek “white knights” to complete these projects.

He said that for the Lahad Datu project, there were already interested parties to complete the housing development.

Securing the completion of these projects is feasible, as shown by the Warisan state government’s previous success in finishing the 16-year delayed 1Sulaman condo project and resolving the four-year delay in issuing occupation certificates (OCs) for The Gardens in Bundasan, Penampang.

Earlier, PacifiCity Project Purchasers Welfare Association (P3WA) representative Datuk Winston Liaw reported that on May 2, 2024, the Pacific Heights project was declared abandoned by the state Local Government and Housing Ministry.

The Ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, Stanley Chong, confirmed the declaration under the Housing (Developer Control and Licensing) Enactment 1978, Section 11(1)(ca) in a letter.

Liaw urged commercial banks to halt charging instalment payments and interest to buyers.