Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 20. August 27 1979
[Introduction]
[ unclear: uty] Housing and Local Government [ unclear: ter], Datuk Samy Vellu, recently stated that [ unclear: ird] of Kuala Lumpur's population are [ unclear: ers], and that squatters are mushrooming in other new areas like Perak. "Overnight will be squatter houses there.....not just [ unclear: at] several."
[ unclear: he] same press release he described the steps [ unclear: vernment] intends taking to overcome the [ unclear: ter] problem:— the decentralisation of [ unclear: tries] and more low cost housing schemes [ unclear: nits] costing less than M$20,000.
[ unclear: how] true and sincere is the Malaysian [ unclear: nment] towards solving all these squatters [ unclear: ems]? Let us examine a bit in detail.
[ unclear: e] housing problems in Malaysia are not They have been in existence for the past ten at least. According to the 1970 Population Housing Census in Malaysia, the population [ unclear: e] country was 10,420,915. With an average [ unclear: y] size of 5.5 persons, the estimated number [ unclear: milies] 1,894,712. Hence Malaysia needs [ unclear: 712] dwelling units but there were only [ unclear: 351] living quarters in 1970, a shortage of [ unclear: 61] dwelling units.
[ unclear: en] the figure was updated to mid-1974, the [ unclear: age] had increased to 618,961 dwelling units. [ unclear: s] consider the situation in Johore Bahru [ unclear: e] the squatter problem, the Tasek Utara [ unclear: in]1974-75, has aroused much concern [ unclear: g] the public and students at home and [ unclear: eas].
1970, Johore Bahru's population was [ unclear: 03] and this required 24,730 housing units [ unclear: he] number of living quarters was only [ unclear: 0], a shortage of 3,830. The squatters' [ unclear: em] had been accelerated by the continuous [ unclear: se] in population and the migration of [ unclear: le] from the countryside to the town to work. [ unclear: 74]-75 the Tasek Utara issue arose because [ unclear: e] demolition of houses in spite of peoples' [ unclear: g] protest, and the inhumane arrest and [ unclear: ment] of squatters when they staged a [ unclear: ful] demonstration asking for a decent piece [ unclear: nd] from their stale government which had [ unclear: i] to keep their pre-election promises.
1970, the population of Georgetown was [ unclear: 19] which required at least 49,094 housing There were only 30,855 housing units, a age of 18,345. With the increase of [ unclear: lation] and the migration of rural folks to [ unclear: n], the squatter problem was further [ unclear: gerated]. The government of Penang has shown that it prefers to cater for foreign interests rather than solve the housing problem of the poor, landless and the squatters of the state. After the 1978 election came the demolition of squatters home in Jelutong.