Luqman's musings

                                                     For a better view click on the image   The DBKK letter (Ref: JKBn: S/1045, dated 15th July 2025) was addressed to me and copied to the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Local Government and Housing, Sabah Ministry of Public Works, Department of Lands and Surveys, Sabah Town and Regional Planning Department, LPPB, and the Sabah State Integrity and Governance Division. I shall email my response to all relevant parties. Here is my reply to the points raised in the letter:

    Tatal kebawah untuk:  Translasi ke dalam Bahasa Melayu Other matters: The minutes: 2.12 Puan Mariam, wife of Mr. Luqman Michel (representative of Lot S9 owner), expressed discomfort with the condition of the access road to Lot S9 due to its steep gradient.   2.13 Madam Siti Fairuz from the Sabah State Integrity and Governance Division (BIGONS) informed that, following the discussions and explanations provided in the meeting, the complaint submitted to BIGONS has been closed.

                                                   Click on image to see expanded version This meeting was a follow up of the first meeting held on 5.5.2025. The minutes: 2.1 The meeting was informed that Sr. Robert (the surveyor) had re-verified the Survey Plan that was reviewed, and the results of the review were communicated to the Kota Kinabalu City Hall. The re-verification results found that the height level of the road in front of Lot S9 is 31.05m (101.87 feet) Average Mean Sea Level (AMSL), compared to the level stated in the Development Plan Approval (Year 2018) which is 31.09m (102 feet) AMSL;   i) Development Plan: 31.09 m (102 feet)   ii) As-built survey plan: 31.04m (101.87 feet)      Difference in height: 0.04m (0.13 feet) My thoughts: Firstly, the figure 31.05m is not on the as-built survey. Sec...

  The question I had asked since 2022 is if a retaining wall was mandated behind the houses along S1 to S18 (now renamed D17 to D18). In the minutes given to me on 11 th June 2025 Item 3.2 states: The approval record for the retaining wall plan for this development must be reviewed to identify if there is a proposal for constructing a retaining wall at the rear of Lot S9 for information and reference in the upcoming meeting. Action by: DBKK Engineering Department and DBKK City Planning Department.   The revised minutes given to me on 21.7.2025 states: The approval record for the retaining wall plan for this development must be reviewed to determine if there is a need to construct a retaining wall at the rear of Lot S9 for reference in the upcoming meeting. Action by: DBKK Engineering Department and DBKK City Planning Department.   There are two matters here for consideration:

    Untuk Terjemahan dalam Bahasa Melayu tatal kebawah. I sent the following Email to Mr. Stanley Chong on Friday 25.7.2025. Will I get a reply?  Dear Mr. Stanley Chong, I pray this email finds you in the pink of health. Please pass this email to Datuk Yeo Boon Hai as I don't have his email address.

                                                Click on image above to see enlarged version Refer to my post at LINK . Let us look at the minutes first handed to me on 11.06.2025 (see image above). Item 2.1 i) states the platform height (paras tanah) to be 101 feet. Item 2.1 iii) states the platform height (paras tanah) to be 106.26 feet. This is what should be highlighted. The difference in platform height is 5.26 feet. 

  Click on the images to get a clearer view.                             The above 2 pages are minutes of meeting given out on 11.6.2025                           The following are pages 2,3 and 4 of the revised minutes given to me on 21.7.2025    Untuk terjemahan ke dalam Bahasa Melayu, tatal ke bawah. On June 11, 2025, the second meeting was held at DBKK, attended by two officers from the Integrity Department. During the meeting, we received the minutes of the May 5, 2025, meeting, prepared and signed by DBKK City Engineer Lilitia Jenneh and checked and signed by Mr. Kalvin Liaw, Director of the Building Control Department. Notably, the minutes lacked the signature of Sr. Lifred Wong, the Director General, raising suspicions of intentional omission rather than an oversight.

  Request for Meeting to Discuss Concerns Regarding Vistana Heights Occupancy Certificate Approval   Dear Datuk Seri Dr. Haji Sabin Samitah,  

  Here is an email to the mayor dated 1.7.2025. Copied to integrity department. No response. To:mayor@dbkk.sabah.gov.my Cc:wdahlan@jpa.gov.my,marziana.malik@jpa.gov.my,sitifairuz.hussin@sabah.gov.my Tue 1 Jul at 07:10 Dear Datuk Mayor,

  This post was written on 12.11.2022 and archived.   There is a change in the local government and I think it is best that I stop working on the Vistana Heights problems until later. Here is a headline from the local newspaper yesterday. Sabah Bersatu collapses, GRS members to form new party. I have briefed the three other house owners who are active in this matter and they will follow up until I get back to my blog posting sometime in February or March 2023. YB Ginger Phoong has promised to visit the site this week and that will be my last activity for the year on this matter. One of the house owner's has met Mr. Saiman Angak who has promised to hold a meeting with the developer and the house owners.  LPPB has advised me that they are studying how to settle this matter amicably. So, let us give the politicians to settle down first. We will wait for DBKK and LPPB to study this matter and find an amicable solution.  Note on 22nd July 2025. GRS has performed mise...

Here are extracts from a press report.  Read my post yesterday   and compare it with the report.   Speaking at PAM Sabah’s 50th anniversary gala dinner on Friday, chairman Ar Daniel Koh Chung Hou described the golden jubilee as a significant milestone in their collective journey as architects, designers, planners and stewards of the built environment in Sabah. LINK “Our aim is to reinforce PAM as a proactive platform not only for professional development but also for meaningful engagement with local authorities, educational institutions, and our members,” Daniel said.

I read the following in our Daily Express yesterday, 20.7.2025 titled: PAM Sabah celebrates its Golden Jubilee. “Our aim is to reinforce PAM as a proactive platform not only for professional development but also for meaningful engagement with local authorities, educational institutions, and our members,” Daniel said. Ar. Daniel Koh Chung Hou is the current chairman of PAM (Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia) Sabah Chapter. I will write a post on this tomorrow. Meanwhile here are background information to understand better my intended response to the newspaper article. 

  Datuk John Lo’s article in the Daily Express today continues his tradition of posing questions about Sabah’s development. Having followed his columns for years, I appreciate his knack for highlighting critical issues, yet I’ve noticed he often sidesteps direct questions posed to him. Today, I’ll engage with his questions, offer some answers, and pose a few of my own. 

  Here is an article in Sinar Harian dated 18.7.2025. This statement is by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Ir. Shahelmey Yahya. You may read the article here . Here is the first paragraph: The actions of certain parties in turning the water supply issue into political capital ahead of the Sabah State Election (PRN) have been described as unfair and potentially damaging to the state's image. Deputy Chief Minister and Sabah Public Works Minister, Datuk Ir. Shahelmey Yahya, said such an approach does not help resolve the people's problems and may confuse the public with inaccurate narratives.

  Here are two emails, one each to the Director General of DBKK dated 16.6.2025 and one to an officer at the Integrity Department dated 17.6.2025. I have yet to receive a response. What can ordinary citizens like us do when even the Integrity department does not respond to emails? 

    Tatal ke bawah untuk terjemahan dalam bahasa Melayu. Yesterday, I read a report in the Straits Times that resonated deeply with me. Below are the extracts from the report alongside my reflections. Extract: Court finds Selangor land office negligent, orders RM1.1mil award for land fraud victim. Judicial Commissioner Indra Nehru Savandiah ruled in favour of Ng Kin Song @ Ng Thian Song, finding that negligence and statutory breaches by the Selangor Land and Mines Department and the Klang Land Office had enabled the fraudulent transaction.   

  At the meeting with DBKK together with the surveyor and architect the Director General, Sr. Lifred Wong asked the surveyor to do a survey of the platform and road heights at no 9 Vistana Heights. Since then, I have requested for the survey and have yet to receive it. As mentioned earlier, Sr. Lifred Wong tried to mislead those present with figures that were not in the original as-built drawing.  LINK