KUCHING: Sarawak will get RM50 million of the total RM70 million allocated in the 2016 Budget for housing loans to build longhouses in Sarawak and Sabah, says Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
He said he was meeting state housing and tourism minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg at the latter’s office here today to discuss the loan implementation procedure before presenting it to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Najib, in presenting Budget 2016 had announced a new programme which collaborated with the Sabah and Sarawak governments to provide RM70 million under Bank Simpanan Nasional for interest-free loans to build longhouses.
The maximum loan for every unit in the longhouse is RM50,000, up from the current RM10,000.
Uggah told Bernama yesterday that Sarawak’s experienced and capable Housing Development Corporation would implement the project in the state when the loan was made available early next year.
Recently, the Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum thanked Najib for listening to the request of Dayak members of parliament to increase housing loans to build longhouses. — Bernama