KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 — The construction of more affordable housing projects for low-income earners in urban areas can help realise the dreams of the B40 and M40 groups for home ownership.
In welcoming the government’s call for developers to build more of such houses, an economics lecturer from Sabah Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Dr Jain Yassin said studies also found that there is high demand for affordable housing, especially in the urban and sub-urban areas.
“But unfortunately, the number of affordable houses built by developers is limited causing many of them (those in the B40 and M40 groups) to struggle to become house owners, despite owning a house is a necessity to live a good life instead of renting one.
“Therefore, the call by the government for more affordable houses to be built is much lauded, and if possible, in all states,” he told Bernama here.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in his speech at the Residensi Wilayah, Residensi Prihatin MADANI and MADANI Hawkers Centre ground-breaking ceremony in Desa Tasik Sungai Besi here yesterday advised housing developers to build more projects for the low-income residents.
Jain, who is a senior lecturer at the UTiM’s Faculty of Management and Business, said several things needed to be looked into by the government to ensure that the houses will truly benefit the target groups.
“Hence, the need for screening to ensure the houses bought are occupied by the buyers themselves. This is because there have been cases of buyers of affordable houses renting out or selling the property to others,” he said.
Meanwhile, residents in several states want housing developers to take the government’s call seriously.
In JOHOR, petty trader Mohd Said Mustaffa, 59, wants the call by the government to be made compulsory for housing developers to ensure that low-income earners also get to buy houses in the urban areas.
A babysitter, Darina Azam, 33, said that the move was long awaited so that more low-income earners get to realise their dream of owning a home.
However, she said, there is also a need for the government to also simplify the sale and purchase process, such as the legal costs, service costs and other costs involved
In MELAKA, civil servant Nurul Ashikin Abdul Halim, 30, described the move as timely considering that many people are currently struggling financially to be able to own a house, while in PERAK, Amirrul Rabbani Rashid, 29, who is working in the private sector, hoped that the information about the projects could be effectively disseminated to the target group so that the objective can be realised.
In PENANG, factory worker Faizatul Husna Mohd Syukran, 30, believed that the move to provide more affordable homes will greatly help the low-income group to live in their own home rather than renting one, which is more costly.
“Besides that, the housing projects need to have green areas, recreational facilities and public facilities, including MADANI stalls.
“With more affordable houses available, people like me get more chances to home ownership. Otherwise, we keep staying in rented houses and the rental is also increasing.
“When my father was working in Penang, there are still low-cost houses under RM50,000, but now I’m not sure if it’s still available or not.
“So, the Prime Minister’s call for developers to build more housing projects for low-income residents is very helpful for people like us,” he said.
