One-stop agency ideal for M’sia to address housing issues, formulate policies

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SINGAPORE: A one-stop agency is ideal for Malaysia in  addressing issues and making it easier to formulate policies related to housing, says Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

“My wish is to have housing under one entity or one ministry. It is a suggestion, which I think, is a good idea to look at.

“The National Housing Council which was proposed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak when tabling the 2014 Budget is one step towards making that a reality. So, this council will probably oversee everybody’s activities,” he told Bernama in an interview, here, yesterday.

Abdul Rahman is on his first working visit to the island republic. Also present was Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore, Datuk Husni Zai Yaacob.

On his visit here, Abdul Rahman said: “One of the reasons I am here is to learn or rather understand the success of the Singapore Housing Development Board.”

He noted that there was a slight difference between his ministry and HDB.

“For one simple reason, in Malaysia we have many different agencies. And one of the reasons why HDB has been very successful is because everything is under one agency, from building low-cost units all the way up to the super condos and super apartments,” he explained.

In comparison, he said: “In Malaysia, only low-cost housing is done primarily by my ministry.

“But when you talk about affordable housing – slightly higher cost, then Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd (SPNB) and PR1MA will come into play,” he said, adding that now the Public Private Partnership Unit (UKAS) was going to build houses for civil servants.

“In a way we are quite fragmented, so it is not easy to have a coordinated effort.”

Touching on the National Housing council, the minister said he had yet to get instruction from the prime minister on how to go about it, including the composition of its members and on who would be chairing it.

He said it would be better for the prime minister to decide as he would  be able to see the overall picture. — Bernama