SIBU (March 26): Sibu MP Oscar Ling has offered RM50,000 as a temporary measure to mitigate the soil filling and prevent landslides at Lorong Rantau Panjang Jaya 7 and 12.

However, he said the offer is conditional upon the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) accepting it and taking action to resolve the woes as the area falls under its jurisdiction.

“Unauthorised work by others could lead to accountability issues with the council,” he said in a statement.

On Feb 4, a landslide occurred at Lorong Rantau Panjang Jaya 7 and 12, rendering 43 victims from 10 families homeless.

Since then, the victims have been staying at the temporary evacuation centre (PPS) at Kampung Bahagia Jaya Civic Centre during the night and returning home during the day.

On Monday night, Ling had visited the victims at the relief centre, who told him about their frustrations and eagerness for their repair funds to be approved quickly so they can return home safely.

He stated that for 49 days, the victims had requested for emergency funds from the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC), but they have not received any updates.

“It is simply unacceptable that the authorities are handling such an urgent matter with such inefficiency,” he said.

Ling also mentioned that he had contacted SDMC’s Chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah on the matter, but received no response.

“Hopefully, SDMC will expedite the approval of emergency repair funds to prevent further structural damage to homes due to ongoing soil erosion,” he said.

He added that based on past experience, SDMC has always been slow in distributing aid.

For instance, he said the 2023 storm disaster aid took seven to eight months to be disbursed, and the flood victims in Bintulu have been waiting for two months without any updates.

“SDMC should speed up the approval and distribution of disaster relief funds, rather than waiting for the situation to worsen before taking action,” said Ling.