Kota Kinabalu: The Rural Development Ministry is stepping up efforts to address delays in Rumah Mesra Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) initiative by monitoring every three days to ensure construction stays on track and delivers the promised benefits to the people.
Assistant Minister Datuk Samad Jambri said the move aims to boost transparency and efficiency in the management of the housing initiative, while allowing for improvements where necessary.
“Monitoring reports will be updated regularly, and any issues that arise will be dealt with immediately,” he said at the Sabah State Assembly on Monday.
Samad was responding to a question from Arunarnsin Taib (Warisan - Gum-Gum) concerning the government’s actions regarding the alleged abandoned SMJ house project, particularly in the the N.50 Gum-Gum constituency.
Samad assured that the ministry takes the delays seriously and is committed to ensuring the housing programme delivers real benefits to the local community.
“All involved parties are working hard to resolve these issues and deliver the best possible outcomes,” he added.
Samad said a recent site visit with the Sandakan Municipal Council (MPS) on 7 April found that most units under the project in Gum-Gum progressing well, with just one house facing delays.
The contractors present during the visit also committed to completing the remaining houses, he said.
Samad said that the delays were caused by several factors, including issues with site access, flooding and changes in location requests from recipients.
“In Kampung Ulu Dusun, for instance, a two-kilometre access road needs to be built to reach the project site from the main road, that alone has taken considerable time,” he said.
“Flooding has also been an issue, particularly in Kampung Sungai Memanjang, where severe floods at the end of 2024 and early 2025 disrupted construction works.
“Additionally, some recipients requested site changes due to personal or land-related reasons, which also slowed down the process.”
On the selection of recipients, Samad explained that the process is carried out systematically through district-level focus group committees involving various government agencies and departments.
