Yayasan foundation clarifies

The Yayasan Sultan Hj Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation has clarified about an article "Wooden house falling apart" that appeared in the Sunday Bulletin dated January 4, 2004.

"I wish to refer to your article 'Wooden House Falling Apart' which appeared in your Sunday edition (January 4, 2004) written by James Kon and Huraizah Ahmad concerning a wooden house in Kg Delima Satu which was given by Yayasan Sultan Hj Hassanal Bolkiah to Dayang Rashidah binti Abdullah Shim, a Muslim convert.

"The article refers to Dayang Rashidah in one paragraph as owner of the house and in another as tenant. In fact she is the owner of the house and not a tenant. As the owner of the house, one of the conditions set by Yayasan is that after the defects liability period of six months, the maintenance of the house is the responsibility of the owner. This condition applies to every owner of a house given by Yayasan under its housing assistance scheme to new Muslim converts and the needy.

"Dayang Rashidah is single, aged 28. According to information received by Yayasan she is working with a leading hotel in Brunei and is staying at one of the quarters provided by her employer. She seldom stays at the house except on weekends. For her to say that she no longer stays at the house because it was no longer safe to reside in may, therefore, not necessarily be correct as she, through convenience chooses to stay at the quarters provided by the hotel.

"Yayasan is aware of the defects found in the house. In fact, Yayasan officers at one time when they visited the house after the defects liability period expired brought to the attention of Dayang Rashidah these defects and adviced her, as owner and in accordance with the terms set by Yayasan, to attend to the defects.

"The article mentioned that according to Dayang Rashidah she had tried to seek assistance from several relevant authorities but her cry for help fell on deaf ear. I wish to point out that she has not approached Yayasan for assistance all this time.

"Your article also mentioned that she urged relevant authorities to attend to her dire situation as soon as possible. May I highlight the fact that she is still young, gainfully employed, single and, has no dependants to worry about. Dayang Rashidah should make an effort to attend to the defects herself as she appears to have the means to do so. Yayasan will look further into this matter and may render assistance if it deems necessary."

- Haji Mohd Noor bin Haji Mohd Daud
- Acting Public Relations Officer
- Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin