GEORGE TOWN, Dec 17 – The DAP-led Penang government urged Putrajaya and PR1MA Corporation to share its list of applicants to the Penang state housing department for consideration while Penang state housing department is ready to take over the PR1MA List of application in Penang, said state housing exco Jagdeep Singh Deo. He said since the promulgation of the Perumahan Rakyat 1 Malaysia Act 2012, intended to provide affordable housing for Malaysians, including Penangites.
“It is unfortunate, that despite having corresponded some 13 times officially with the Federal government, including the Prime Minister, the Urban Well-Being and Housing Minister and the PR1MA Corporation, and despite having regard to our welcoming officials from PR1MA to be briefed on our affordable housing policies in Penang on 25.8.2015. It is most unfortunate that PR1MA have themselves failed to submit their application for such affordable housing projects in Penang,” said Jagdeep.
“This is very unfortunate having regard especially to the fact that, none other than our PM Najib, had as far back as May, 2013, very conveniently then, just before GE-13, announced in none other than the Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng’s constituency of Air Putih, that he would be building some 9,999 units of affordable housing for Penangites,” he said.
“His announcement then have been continued with numerous similar announcements by his Ministers and also the PR1MA Corporation as I have stated earlier, which includes specific locations and numbers of such affordable housing being built by PR1MA in Penang via advertorials in the mass media, including The Star dated 26.10.2014 referring to plans to build 2,100 units of PRIMA affordable housing in Bukit Gelugor and 9,564 units of PRIMA affordable housing in Balik Pulau,” he said.
“This is further compounded by the fact that at the National Housing Council meeting held on 21.08.2015 chaired by PM Najib Razak it was announced that out of 153,807 units of PRIMA affordable housing approved by PRIMA Corporation as of July, 2015, Penang was said to have been allocated the highest number of such PRIMA affordable housing namely 24,923 units,” he added.
As stated above, Jagdeep said Penang has yet to receive a single application for such a project by PRIMA todate. He said Penang’s conundrum of being constantly sidelined by the Federal government, not only where housing is concerned, has now been echoed and confirmed by eminent third parties at the Property Guru’s Property Market Outlook 2 Forum talk held on the 14.12.2015 in KL that PR1MA is a ‘total failure’.
He said this failure of the BN- led Federal government in Penang, where affordable housing is concerned, is something not new, as history has proven that the previously BN-led government, has also failed miserably in the provision of low-cost and low-medium cost housing, which is evidenced by the numbers of such housing units being built in the last 7 years before 2008.
“As compared to the following 7 years post-2008 under the new Pakatan Harapan administration, which is in 2000-2007, there were 4,355 units of low cost and 769 units of low medium cost. While in 2008-2015, 8,092 units of low cost and 8,107 units of low medium cost. Further, during the period 2008-2015 a total of 3,796 units of low-cost units and a total of 5,246 units of low-medium cost units have been approved by the Penang State government to be built,” said Jagdeep.
“The continued failure of the BN-led government, where the ‘total failure of PR1MA’ is concerned, is their empty and hollow promises of providing affordable housing as I have pointed above, as compared to the current led Pakatan-Harapan administration, which has, in the pipeline some 12 projects which will see some 22,512 units of low-cost (787 units), low-medium cost (7,874 units) and affordable housing (13,851 units) being provided for Penang in the future,” he said.
“This is not even taking into account the many other projects which is at the planning stage by the Penang State Government for such housing in Penang for the future. In fact, where affordable housing is concerned in Penang, I would like to once again, commend the private sector that have participated with the government in its Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative, since the introduction of the Penang State Government’s 100% Private Sector Affordable Guidelines,” he said.
“Whereby todate applications to build some 9,047 units of such affordable housing have been submitted by some 16 private developers. This is in addition to the earlier affordable housing guidelines which began with 87 units per acre for 25% of the development component; which subsequently evolved to 143 units per acre for development of 100% affordable housing with a controlled pricing between RM200,000.00 to RM400,000.00,” he said.
“Now, it had been increased to 180 units per acre for developments that are able to top up the 100% guidelines by providing 25% extra units of RM150,000.00 units. Penang State government will continue to assist the private sector by giving incentives if they are willing to participate with the Penang State government in its affordable housing initiative. He said this is especially relevant now having regard to the fact that PRIMA is said to be a ‘total failure’,” he added.
Jagdeep said he guidelines, in line with the Penang State Government’s policy of being Clean, Accountable and Transparent can in fact be obtained at the Penang Town and Country Planning Department by those who are totally unclear and at a loss due to reasons unknown to everyone. Besides that, this ‘total failure of PRIMA’ will have a great negative and adverse impact on the applicants who have been waiting for such affordable housing under PR1MA.
“Where this is concerned, recent reports revealed that to date, there are some 1.2 million applicants for affordable housing under PR1MA throughout the country whereby 66% of them are Malay applicants, followed by 28% Chinese applicants and 4% Indian applicants. What is to become of these applicants?” said Jagdeep.
“It is suggested that in order to address the total failure of PR1MA, perhaps the Federal Government and the PR1MA Corporation in particular will channel those applicants from their list of applicants, who are from Penang, or those who are interested to purchase affordable housing in Penang,” he said.
“We should not politicize the issue of housing, and unfortunately now that PR1MA is a total failure, the Penang State Government is open to receive PR1MA’s list of applicants for our consideration so as to realize the dreams and aspirations of these applicants so as not to disappoint them in the manner that PR1MA has,” he added.
