320 households in Rejang Park receive reimbursement for septic tank self-installation

Borneo Post

20-07-2025

(From sixth right, back row) Tiang and Ting take a group photo with recipients. – Photo by Peter Boon
SIBU (July 20): A total of RM960,000 was disbursed to 320 households in Rejang Park here, with each receiving RM3,000 as reimbursement for the self-installation of septic tanks.
State Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Michael Tiang presented the cheques to the recipients at the Rejang Park commercial centre here yesterday, and he thanked Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg for approving the reimbursement.
'This was my proposal, and he approved it. We are really thankful to our Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg,' Tiang told reporters.
In recounting the timeline leading up to today's event, the Pelawan assemblyman referred back to 2015 when he was approached by the public regarding the long-standing issues with septic tanks.
He recalled that at the time, the residential homes in Rejang Park and the commercial district were linked by an underground central sewage system.
He said the centralised system built in the 1970s had somehow begun to fall apart, impacting toilets of the affected house owners and leading to extremely poor hygiene conditions.
'Consequently, they reached out to me to see if I could help. We conducted surveys of houses, gathering data, taking photographs, and even collecting petitions from the residents. This information was then submitted to the then Chief Minister, (the late) Tok Nan (Pehin Sri Adenan Satem).
'In 2018, our Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, visited Sibu for the general election. During his visit, I discussed this project with him, explaining that we needed RM3 million to address 345 houses and 32 commercial lots. He agreed, recognizing the urgency of the situation, and said this was something we had to do immediately,' he said.
Tiang said that however, the onset of Covid-19 pandemic affected the progress of the project.
He appreciated the efforts of Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) in assisting with the project.
'We completed the project. But then, still many of the residents came to me and asked for assistance. I said, okay, let me try after I get elected, so that I have more right to ask for this from you.
'In 2021, I achieved that goal and was elected. Since then, I have remained committed to this mission. But it took me three years to find the right way to do this, to find this reimbursement subsidy.
'Last year, I once again reached out to our Premier. Thankfully, our Premier was gracious enough to approve it once more. This allowed me to provide a subsidy of RM3,000 to each (of the 320) household (in Rejang Park).
'This morning, we managed to cover 320 homes. After a decade-long journey, I can say with gratitude that this chapter is now complete. Mission accomplished, and all thanks to our Premier.'
Tiang added: 'He (Abang Johari) genuinely cares about the issues people face, even at this level. I'm thrilled about this transformative project that has significantly improved the residents' quality of life here.
'It has established a very clean and supportive commercial setting for all the businesspeople in this area. I'm truly delighted,' he said.
Also present was SMC Market and Petty Traders standing committee chairwoman Jenny Ting. lead Michael Tiang reimbursement Rejang Park septic tank