The Kuching Municipal Council (KMC) Flats, which was constructed in 1957, may be rebuilt. Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian said it is time to think of rebuilding the flats so that tenants can enjoy better facilities.

"But before we can rebuild them, I am hoping to go down to the community, the people who live there, to engage with them, so that I have an idea of what type of flats they want us to rebuild and what are the sizes.

"In the old days the flats were very big but now those flats are very small. That is why I'm looking forward to go down to engage and speak to the residents" he told reporters at a Ngiling Tikai ceremony organised by the Kuching South City Council yesterday.

Dr Sim said many old flats in Kuala Lumpur have undergone urban renewal, where they were rebuilt for the original tenants.

"Those flats, they have better facilities. That is why I call it urban renewal" he said. Dr Sim said if the tenants do not want KMC Flats to be rebuilt, the plan would not proceed.

"But I observed in KL, there are a lot of DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Council) flats that have been demolished and rebuilt. If they are funded by the federal (government) why should our people keep on living in the old flats?

"Other people just want to ‘tengok saja' or see only, but I want to grab the money. ‘Tengok saja' is only for those who don't have the ability to grab the money. In KL, I saw a whole lot flats being rebuilt, and they come from federal funding. If they come from federal funding why should we ‘tengok saja'? We should also grab it for our people" he said.

On the size of the proposed rebuilt flats, Dr Sim said it would depend on the wishes of the tenants.

"Some of them may say they don't want to rent anymore. Some may say they don't need a big flat as their children are not living with them. Some may want to buy it. I don't know" he said.

There are four types of KMC Flats with a total of 531 units divided into 22 blocks, each named after a town in Sarawak.