Pepper Estate residents fight to keep homes

Pepper Estate in Penang is, in the eyes of residents, a historic settlement that should be preserved because it is among the oldest in the state.

Instead, the land has been sold “on the quiet” to a developer which is demolishing houses that it has been able to buy from some residents.

The residents are also in a ferment about “secrets dealings” that have been struck with some residents, threats of thuggery and the impending demolition of more houses.

Pepper Estate Residents Committee pro-tem chairperson Ann Rozario (left) said most of the residents want to remain in the area where their parents set up home several decades ago.

"Our families have lived here 40 years, and some even longer. This is the only home we know," she told a gathering held today to protest demolition works.

"We have no assurance of compensation or repair for damage to surrounding houses, like ours, during demolition.

"This is a historical place, as this is one of the oldest estates in Penang. It should remain that way and be preserved.”

But said Ann, 53, the land has been sold to a developer and the company has failed to notify the community about its plans.

A lawyer's letter was sent in May to inform residents that the company is about to carry out "an audit".

The Residents Committee has conducted its own survey of the 300 affected households, and found that 96 percent of the residents want to remain in the area, said Ann.

Kumarasen Tangaloo (left), 34, said the house next to his was demolished without his knowledge.

"I went out and came home and the house had been demolished. There were only the pillars left," he told reporters.

An engineer, he said he wants the developer to compensate him for damage to his own house, allegedly as a result of the demolition.

Kumarasen also said representatives of the developer have been going around "secretly negotiating" with individual residents to give up their houses.

"They approach different (owners) with different deals. This has led to miscommunication and confusion among the residents," he said.

"Why don't they meet all of us to explain their plan for this area instead of going behind our backs to meet our neighbours and draft different deals with different people?”

Kumarasen said some of his neighbours have been offered a ‘measly’ sum of between RM30,000 and RM35,000 to give up their houses.

Ho Yu Jia, 24, said the residents had approached the developer to sign a letter of undertaking to repair damage to houses in the course of demolition work carried out by the company’s contractors.

"However, the developer has refused to sign this letter. We are worried that, when demolition is in full swing, our homes will be affected as well,” she added.

‘Conflict of interest’

Opened in 1960, the site has been under the management of Eow Thoon Estate which allowed people to build houses on the land.

Until the end of last year, the 300 households were paying the estate a monthly rent of RM40 each.

In May last year, the land was sold to Beverly Properties. Up to now, seven houses sold to the developer have been demolished.

PKR’s Kebun Bunga state assemblyperson Cheah Kah Peng (right), who was at the protest, said he is looking at ways of balancing the rights of the residents with those of the developer.

He said there have been previous cases where there was an obvious "conflict of interest", when developers owned the land and residents owned the properties on it.

"We want an amicable solution to the problem. The residents are worried that the developer will not keep its word to repair any damage to their homes (during demolition works)," he said.

Cheah warned the developer not to send "heavyweights" to pressure the residents into giving up their houses.

"We don't want things to turn ugly," he cautioned.

Two representatives of Beverly Heights were at the scene, but declined to comment beyond saying that the developer will meet with Cheah and the Residents Committee on Wednesday. Until then, the demolition work will be suspended.