KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 20): The government’s goal of building one million affordable and low-cost houses within 10 years is a realistic plan and not just a populist promise, said Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin.
She said the Pakatan Harapan government was committed to realising the target, something that the previous government had failed to implement.
“I do not know about Gerakan (Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia), I think they were part of the previous government for 60 years, if in 60 years they could not do it … they cannot just say that we (Pakatan) will not be able to do it,” she told reporters after the closing ceremony of the Malaysia Urban Forum 2019 here yesterday.
Gerakan president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau, was reported to have said on Monday that the government’s announcement to build one million units of affordable homes and low-cost houses within 10 years, was another bluff and a populist promise to remain in power.
Meanwhile, Zuraida said the ministry presented location proposals nationwide to build 100,000 affordable and low-cost houses this year at a meeting with the National Affordable Housing Council, chaired by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“For this year, everything is there ... there are proposals for several states including Pahang and Penang,” she said.
“That also includes some development in urban areas, the development of parcels of land areas where there is strong infrastructure and good transport system, these areas of land will then be used [to build houses],” she said. — Bernama
This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on February 20, 2019
