Sabah: The Sabah Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has proposed five governance improvements to the Sabah Maju Jaya Friendly Homes (RMSMJ) programme after uncovering cases of unoccupied and misused houses.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Sabah MACC director Datuk Mohd Fuad Bee Basrah stated that preliminary investigations found some recipients of housing assistance under the programme did not reside in the houses provided and had instead rented them out to third parties.

He mentioned that the recommendations had been submitted to the Sabah Rural Development Ministry (KPLB). These recommendations included tighter eligibility criteria requiring applicants to be heads of household.

Additional proposals from Sabah MACC include rejecting applications from individuals with a source of income and prohibiting the transfer of RMSMJ ownership except in cases of inheritance. They also suggested introducing a standardised RMSMJ application form.

Mohd Fuad further added that Sabah MACC recommended establishing a monitoring mechanism before, during, and after construction. Additionally, they suggested including a reminder clause on Section 18 of the MACC Act 2009 in the application form.