THE MALAYSIAN RESERVE. 11TH FEBRUARY: THE National Affordable Housing Council (MPMMN) will set a new direction for the People’s Housing Programme (PPR) by incorporating new components towards achieving the “Liveable Malaysia” agenda.
The construction of the new PPR will take into account connectivity and Internet access, such as fibre to the home (FTTH) and public transport connectivity, as well as a more economical and comfortable design.
In a meeting chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday, the National Recovery Council (MPN) also discussed strategies for the preparation and implementation of 500,000 units of affordable housing throughout the duration of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) involving the federal government, state governments and private housing developers.
“The government is committed to ensuring adequate, quality and affordable homes to meet the needs of the growing population.
“Therefore, the Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) has introduced the Home Ownership Programme (Hope) to see a more comprehensive ecosystem in the provision of housing, housing financing and programmes for Malaysian families,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He added that the council wants Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) to review the housing financing model to facilitate house ownership, to ensure financial institutions facilitate loans for the bottom 40% (B40) and medium 40% (M40) groups to buy PPR and affordable homes with focus given to direct purchase and rent-to-own.
“All parties must play a role to achieve the ‘One Family One House’ goal.
“The federal government will provide subsidies, state governments will provide lands, while banks will facilitate financing to ensure that PPR houses and affordable houses can be sold at good prices,” the PM added.
At the same time, Ismail Sabri said the government is committed to providing affordable housing for the younger generation, as well as focusing on constructing affordable housing in small towns and suburbs to increase the chances of the M40 group buying homes.
He said the council was concerned about the rising cost of building materials such as iron and steel, as well as cartel dominance in the construction industry, which will be addressed by KPKT and the Real Estate and Housing Developers Association (Rehda)
“If it stems from an import permit (AP), the council recommends that it be open to all,” he added.
The Khazanah Research Institute and BNM also presented current data as well as arising issues pertaining to people’s housing and access to financing for affordable housing.
Ismail Sabri said the information will be used as a basis for the government to improve its strategy of providing affordable housing f or Malaysians.
MPMMN is a platform to discuss and coordinate the planning, coordination and monitoring of affordable housing nationwide in line with the “One Family One House” goal.
The online meeting yesterday was also attended by mentri besars, chief ministers, Cabinet ministers, the chief secretary and the governor of BNM.
Also present were representatives from housing provider agencies comprising government agencies, state governments as well as private housing developers.