Luqman's musings

    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...

                                                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

  Dear Datuk Abidin Madingkir, I read an article that said several of the statutory bodies are under your purview in your role as Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister. The article further said that you go on rounds to ensure the effective operations of government machinery. In addition to serving as Mayor of Kota Kinabalu from 2011 until 2016, you were also Permanent Secretary to various ministries such as the Local Government and Housing. Datuk you approved the development of Vistana Heights in 2011 when you were the mayor. The development plan was checked by Datuk Alijus Sipil. 

  On 15 Jul 2025 11:08, luqman michel <luqmanm2002@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Dear YB Datuk Abidin Madingkir, I am forwarding you an email I just sent to Mr.Stanley Chong and the current Mayor of DBKK. The Vistana Heights project's development plan was approved by you in 2011. The subsequent Development Plan was prepared and submitted to DBKK in 2018 after the project was completed. The plan was based on fabricated as-built survey. The 2018 Development Plan does not conform to the as-built survey plan and is different from the plan approved by you in 2011.

                                           This is a recent photo of the land that collapsed behind                                                   house D18 (Previously numbered S17 & S18).   The Director General’s dismissal during the May 5 and June 11, 2025, meetings, without providing evidence or a formal response, raises questions about transparency and accountability. Writing to him twice without receiving a written reply is concerning, especially given DBKK’s public service mandate. The absence of a formal response could suggest procedural lapses or an unwillingness to engage with public inquiries, which contradicts DBKK’s stated commitment to transparency.