Doctor Disappointed 26 Donated Houses Neglected and Soon to Be Demolished

KLANG, 27 JANUARY, 2012: A doctor claims that 26 units of houses he endowed for the needy will be demolished by the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) to make way for a four-storey flat with 60 units.
    
The donor, Dr Kamarolzaman Hajai, 53, said he paid for the construction of the houses on a 0.4-hectare site he owned in 2000 before handing them to MAIS.

He was also disappointed as the houses which were for orphans, senior citizens, converts and the needy were in a neglected and dilapidated state.
    
He said the houses were built with basic amenities and fenced up but were now damaged with the fence, doors, window grilles, window glass, lightings, fans and electrical cables missing while the ceilings and walls had broken.
    
"I don't understand why MAIS neglected the houses until they are in such a state. Looking after wakaf (endowed) property is an entrusted responsibility which must be upheld," he said when he took the media to the location, here, today.
    
Dr Kamarolzaman is determined to take over the management of all the houses including a bungalow for orphans and the needy.
    
He is also prepared to have an audience with the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah over the matter as his complaints to the state government and MAIS have fallen on deaf ears.
    
Meanwhile, MAIS in a statement today said the premises was vacated early last year after it was found to to be unsafe as it had not met the specifications set by the local authority.
    
Its secretary Mohd Haniff Hassan said MAIS was seeking funds for repairs and maintenance while the movable items were stored away to avoid theft.
    
"The bungalow had been handed over to the Selangor Zakat Board to house the elderly. Rentals, since the premises was donated to MAIS, had been channelled to the Endowment Benefits Account.
    
"The premises was rented out until the end of 2010, with safety measures and maintenance undertaken periodically," he said.
    
Mohd Haniff said MAIS endeavoured to repair the premises and was committed to upholding its responsibility as trustee of the property, through the setting up of the Perbadanan Wakaf Selangor whose role is to develop wakaf property.
    

- Bernama