SHEDA calls for govt to extend scheme benefits to S’wak
Posted on July 15, 2011, Friday
KUCHING: The launch of the government-led initiative on the new affordable housing scheme under the 1Malaysia People Housing Scheme (PR1MA) launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak recently was lauded as a positive move by Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers’ Association (SHEDA).
“These moves definitely make houses affordable to all the first time home buyers, since banks are now granting 100 per cent margin of finance for purchase of houses, including five per cent for mortgage reducing term agreements for buyers purchasing the houses under both My First Home Scheme and PR1MA,” said the president of SHEDA, Zaidi Ahmad.
In this scheme, houses will be priced between RM150,000 and RM300,000 in addition to My First Home Scheme benefiting house buyers for houses in the RM100,000 to RM220,000 bracket.
“The government’s additional incentive by exempting the stamp duty for buyers under PR1MA further lightens the financial burden of these house buyers,” he added.
SHEDA was urging the government to extend the financing and guarantee benefit under PR1MA Scheme to all types of houses priced not more than RM300,000 developed by SHEDA members in Sarawak.
This was in addition to identifying the appropriate sites and agencies to build homes for the People of Sarawak thus, enabling Sarawakians to enjoy the same benefit of this newly launched PR1MA Scheme.
“In Sarawak, the state government has, since the 80s, required housing developers to build low-cost housing at a fixed price, which was reviewed in 1998 and revised to RM40,000 for an intermediate unit and RM47,000 for a corner unit.
“This Low Cost Housing (LCH) Policy’s was intended to ensure that the housing developers are not to make profit out of this LCH but to provide affordable housing for the desired groups without burdening any other party. This good intention is now adopted by the newly launched PR1MA Scheme.”
Based on this, SHEDA and Malaysian Developers’ Council were of the view that providing low-cost housing was a social engineering tool and this responsibility should rest on the government via Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd (SPNB) and its mandated GLCs or other similar schemes to be launched by the government.
“The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Sarawak as well as SPNB recognise the difficulties faced by the private developers and more importantly the financial constrain of the house buyers,” Zaidi noted.
“These government agencies have launched various affordable home projects with an floor area of not less than 650 square feet notwithstanding that the building construction costs (excluding the land costs and utilities capital contributions) of these affordable homes cost the respective agencies more than RM120,000 per unit.
