updated version Some 250 workers from 13 plantations gathered at the Selangor Mentri Besar's office this morning to protest the ineffective implementation of their housing policy which has resulted in many of them being left homeless or living in inadequate conditions.

Waving placards reading "Kita mahu rumah teres" (We want terrace houses), "Cukup polisi, buat undang-undang" (Enough of policy , make laws) and "MB Khir Toyo gagal" (MB Khir Toyo has failed), the protestors led by Community Development Centre representative A Sivarajan, waited for the arrival of Mentri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo.

The group had prepared a seven-point memorandum seeking redress on their long-standing housing problems entitled 'Make laws to resolve estate workers' housing problems' which they wanted to present to Khir.

The participants were accompanied by Parti Sosialis Malaysia interim chairman Dr Nasir Hashim and human rights group, Suaram, coordinator S Arutchelvam and other social activists.

The estate workers have waited for more than 10 years for alternative housing which had been promised them while some others have already paid deposits for plots of land which were promised by their employers.

However there are no sign of the houses and only a non-legally binding letter which promises a lot, they said.

No political will

The protestors claimed that they had called the MB's office a few days ago and had been told that the MB would see them.

"The MB has promised that he will have a 'meet the people session' every Friday but where is he now?" said Arutchlevam.

"We took time to organise this group and some workers had even taken unpaid leave to give us their support," he added, pointing to several buses which had ferried the workers from several parts of Selangor to Shah Alam.

"This is a long standing problem and we are out to carry out a national campaign. We have lobbied most of the state assemblymen but nothing has changed," said Dr.Nasir.

"There is simply no political will to do this. There have been three MBs and many promises but nothing has happened. That's why we need laws, not useless policies," he added.

"It is not that we reject development but we want development that will not bring about new social problems," said Dr Nasir.

Matchbox houses

The memorandum stressed the necessity of having laws enacted, instead of policies. If employers flout the law, they can be dragged to court.

The state is also urged to postpone approval of development projects until developers provide housing for workers as most developers were only interested in projects that could benefit them financially.

If alternative housing is provided, workers urged developers to provide them with adequate house and proper living conditions instead of 'matchbox style houses' or tiny flats which can make living uncomfortable, said the memorandum.

Estate workers are also hoping that the houses would be affordable and cost less than RM25,000 and not according to the whims and fancies of developers. At times, prices range from RM35,000 to RM40,000, making it unaffordable for estate workers with meager salaries.

They noted that the 1973 Workers' Home Ownership Scheme proposed by the late Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak stated that terrace houses were the most appropriate houses for these workers.

The workers also demanded for proper compensation after having worked many years for the plantations and country.

They urged the state and estate owners to resolve their problems by consultation with the workers concerned.

Meeting promised

Despite the MB's absence, the protestors refused to budge. They began sitting down on the road side pavement, fanning furiously and sheltering their heads with towels. A few Indian women started chewing sirih to pass time.

At about noon, the MB's public relations officer Razali Rahman came down and received the memorandum on behalf of Khir.

Razali gave his word that he would arrange an appointment between the workers and Khir in two weeks' time, after the Chinese New Year holidays.

"We hope the MB will look into this seriously and handle this matter with politcal responsibility," said V Selvam, coordinator of Suara Warga Pertiwi (Voice of Citizens), one of the NGOs lobbying for plantation workers' rights.

"We need laws, not toothless policies," he added.