Corporation must be agency of relief

 THE forced evictions of tenants by the National Housing Corporation from its properties, especially in the National Capital district, should be stopped and the state-owned entity directed to change tack.

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognises the right to housing as part of the right to an adequate standard of living. 

It states: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, dis­ability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”

The eviction of entire families happens to be an act of the last resort to reclaim NHC properties from those who defaulted on rental payments or money owed to the corporation.

It is understandable that the NHC has been owed money over the years and recouping the millions of kina has been quite impossible.

What is possible is for the state-owned entity is to reclaim all those unprofitable properties, give them a new life and turn them into money-making assets which they really are. And that seems to be what it is doing.  

Yet, we have serious reservations over the manner in which it treats Papua New Guineans who have for years lived and raised families in those NHC homes. The corporation has itself to blame for the poor state of its properties instead of finding fault only in its tenants and penalising them.

Furthermore, there have been instances when the NHC favoured new or potential tenants or buyers of properties and uses force to evict them. There have been instances of officers taking bribes over the sale or change of tenancy of properties. To drag someone out of the privacy and security of his home is tantamount to violating one’s dignity. 

The corporation continues to evict families out of its properties despite the personal intervention of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill two years ago.

Last year a family from Gulf was forcefully evicted from the NHC units in June Valley, NCD. Members of the Gulf family, both young and old, were forced out of the home they had occupied for many years and made to sleep in the open for several nights despite the express direction from O’Neill to stop such evictions.

It was an act of cruelty by the NHC management but they somehow got away with it and are reportedly continuing to forcefully evict tenants in the NCD. The latest eviction exercise was in Tokarara, next door to June Valley.

The NHC management decided to evict the tenants over rental arrears and then reversed its decision. This has not only caused conflict between the old and new tenants but confusion within the corporation. 

It is understood the managing director’s decision to reinstate the old tenants has not gone down well with senior staff, especially the corporation’s legal office. 

That just shows that the NHC management is far from getting its act right on this contentious issue. Housing is a critical human need in our urban centres and despite the rapidly expanding economy the chances of an average family acquiring a home are still scant.

On the contrary, the country’s current favourable economic conditions are merely exacerbating the supply and demand for housing.

The limited volume of private real estate is beyond the reach of most Papua New Guineans. Add to that the age-old human greed for quick, easy money and most citizens are left gasping while a few gain the most.

The situation will continue unabated unless the Government intervenes and puts a ceiling on the price of real estate.

The NHC is the one state agency that our people should turn to for solutions to the serious shortage of housing and land in urban centres. Its current management has done reasonably well so far with the launching of initiatives and projects to provide so-called affordable housing packages for citizens.

Nonetheless, the corporation should be seen as an agency of relief rather than one that resorts to the use of heavy-handed tactics to recoup its debts and properties.