Continuous devt for opposition-held areas – Hajiji

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KOTA KINABALU: Local Government and housing Minister Datuk Hajiji Mohd Noor has refuted claims that the State Capital would see less development just because it is now ‘held’ by the opposition.

“This is of course nonsense,” Hajiji said when officiating at Lido Avenue, a commercial and residential development along Jalan Lintas here yesterday.

Hajiji said that a local estate valuer had, in a recent statement, said now that the parliamentary seat as well as three state seats in Kota Kinabalu are under the opposition, less development including infrastructure can be expected in years to come.

He refuted the valuer’s opinion and pointed out that Kota Kinabalu is the State Capital and its residents also pay taxes.

“So whether the opposition won or we (Barisan Nasional) won, we will still look after it (Kota Kinabalu),” he stressed.

Hajiji also said that the launch of yet another high-end residential development like Mega City Development Sdn Bhd’s Lido Avenue is testimony to the good economy.

It also reflects the private sector, including housing developers, has confidence in the State Government under the dynamic leadership of Datuk Seri Musa Aman, he said adding, “The implication can only be positive”.

He pointed out, “If the economy is no good or if the private sector has no confidence in the Government, we won’t be seeing one housing project after another being launched over the last few years and I am sure there will be even more in the years to come”.

Hajiji disclosed that since 2010, 2,113 units of landed properties such as terraced houses and 2,126 units of strata titled properties such as apartments have been approved or launched in Kota Kinabalu and Penampang alone.

Some have been completed and sold while some are still undergoing construction, he added.

According to Hajiji, the steady increase in the number of apartments compared to landed properties can only mean one thing, that land for housing is increasingly hard to find in and around the State Capital and as a result, new housing projects are now being located further and further away from Kota Kinabalu and Penampang.

“Needless to say, land for housing is cheaper in the surrounding districts like Tuaran and Papar and that is why you find places like Kinarut and the Sulaman highway becoming popular sites for the housing developers nowadays.

“But this is a phenomenon which affects not just Kota Kinabalu but in every city in the world. But that may not be the only reason, the other reason is that as the standard of living improves and people are becoming more educated, more affluent and more attuned to modern living, gated or guarded communities like apartments are fast becoming a way of life now in the cities,’ he said.

Hajiji also said that the State Government believed in a free market or free enterprise system.

“We cannot ask the developers not to build more houses, we are a business friendly government. As I said earlier, any launch of a new housing project is a reflection of the private sector’s confidence in the government and the economy and our job is not to deter but to hold them.

“I would also like to assure you that the BN Government is a responsible and caring government but while the state practises a free enterprise system, the price of houses is determined by the market. This, however, does not mean that the Government does not care,” he stressed.

He pointed out that not every housing development, including apartment, is high-end as there are affordable houses and most of which are built by Government agencies such as the Sabah Housing and Town Development Authority (LPPB) and the Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd or SPNB.

He added that recently, the Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers Association (SHAREDA), during a courtesy call, assured him that they would work hand in hand with the Government to ensure that there would be enough affordable houses in the years to come.

“Collectively between SHAREDA, LPPB and SPNB, some 15,000 units will be built over the next few years. The BN Government is doing all it can to help the rakyat,’ he said.

Hajiji also appealed to the private sector to consider lowering the prices of their property.