MALAYSIA: 40,000 Homes For Poor, Disabled, Elderly

TEMERLOH (Bernama), February 16, 2008: About 40,000 houses will be specifically built for the low-income earners, disabled, single mothers and senior citizens nationwide, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says. The move was to meet the high demand for houses by the groups, he said when launching a housing project in Taman Lanchang Permai, Kampung Bolok Hilir here today. He said the government constantly strived to provide quality, comfortable and affordable houses for the people. In the 2006-2010 period, the government aimed to have 709,400 houses built with 270,905 or 38.2 percent of them under housing programmes for the poor and low-income earners. Of the total, 20,000 were for the poor while 165,400 were low-cost and 85,505 low medium-cost houses, he said. "Many of us are not aware that there is an element of government subsidy in these housing projects. "The actual cost may be RM42,258.66 per unit but it is sold between RM30,000 and RM35,000. It means, the government subsidises about RM12,000 per unit," he said. Najib said that to assist the low earners and people without fixed income especially farmers and fishermen purchase houses, the government set up Syarikat Jaminan Kredit Perumahan Bhd on December 6 last year with an initial fund of RM1 billion. The company would offer loans up to RM60,000 with a repayment period of 40 years, he said. Present at the function were Najib's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob and Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jamaludin Jarjis. Source: BERNAMA - Malaysian National News Agency Copyright © 2008 BERNAMA