Minister with a heart for the people

KUCHING: It has been over five years since Wanita PKR chief and newly-minted Minister of Housing and Local Government Zuraida Kamaruddin was barred from entering Sarawak.

She was barred from entering the state in 2013 and despite multiple attempts of re-entering the state, her ban continued on until last month when Immigration authorities announced that the travel ban on Pakatan Harapan (PH) ministers would finally be lifted.

She took her first steps back onto Sarawak soil on Wednesday and upon meeting with The Borneo Post and Utusan Borneo team at 7am sharp yesterday, she described her long-awaited re-entry into the state as finally returning home.

“The feeling that I got coming into Sarawak again yesterday with the welcome of my people was like I was coming back home,” she mused.

She detailed that her first steps in Sarawak since being barred in 2013 had invoked a deep sense of familiarity because of her continual visits to the state in the past.

“Almost two to three weeks I would come down, because for every issue I had in Semenanjung I would come down here to boost the issue with my Sarawakian friends.

“With the ban it was like a vacuum in my life because otherwise my time would have been filled up with coming to Sarawak and supporting these people who are close to me.

“During the election when I couldn’t come in, it was demoralising for me especially as I was trying to push for more women empowerment,” she said.

“Nevertheless, thank God this time around the ban was lifted, because I think we were made federal government and also because I was made minister of housing and local government so they have no choice but to allow me to come in here,” she recounted.

According to Zuraida, the purpose of her visit to Sarawak is to see what is in for the people in her capacity as the Minister of Housing and Local Government.

“As a new minister I want to bring a new direction to the housing sector, especially low-cost housing and Sarawak is no exception when the new policy is implemented.”

She hopes to make low-cost housing a place that is conducive for the B40 group to live in.

While Zuraida is now very firm on what direction she hopes her new ministry will follow, when news broke of Zuraida’s appointment as our new Minister of Housing and Local Government last month, it is fair to say that the development left a few of us scratching our heads.

After all, many assumed that Zuraida who has always been fiercely vocal and passionate about women’s rights and welfare in the past would be instead involved in the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.

Even Zuraida herself humbly admitted to The Borneo Post and Utusan Borneo that the appointment was not exactly what she envisioned but it was familiar territory.

“I didn’t really expect it because I was more concerned about the women’s ministry as I hoped that I could lead the women’s industry and all the while being prepared for my team. It would be fresh policies and approach to empowering women.

“But I also believe we should be mainstream, and it is not something that I am unfamiliar with,” she shared.

Citing her 10 years of experience as an MP in Ampang, she explained that the Ministry of Housing and Local Government was not something new for her as she has had extensive experience servicing and resolving local needs and issues.

“During my time we spent a lot of time on the other side telling the (former) government how they could improve. But during their 61-year tenure, they refused to consider many suggestions, if they could have done that then things would have been better.”

Expressing her gratitude to the rakyat for a chance to change all that, Zuraida stressed that under her leadership, the ministry will begin taking a new direction, one that is more focused on meeting low-cost housing needs for the B40 in terms of adequate supply and better living conditions.

“We are not constructing homes, we are constructing a nation. I want to improve our living standards by uplifting the living standards of B40 group so that we can empower them and help them close the gap with higher income groups.

“This is something for us to achieve because if we cannot uplift the living standards of our B40 then (it will affect) Malaysia’s progress to become a high income and developed nation.

“So, this is one goal that I would like to achieve as the minister of housing and local government.”

Some of Zuraida’s proposals to help uplift the living standards of the B40 have included the development of larger housing units in affordable housing schemes, potential consideration of projected income in housing loans, rent-to-own schemes and public housing development for the hardcore poor.

While none of these proposals are official yet, Zuraida said she would be able to share more details once they are finalised and approved by the Cabinet.

But the road to improved living conditions for our B40 will not be just providing better designed affordable housing projects, she said.

Zuraida explained that there also needs to be effort placed in ensuring that these affordable units are not misused and taken care of by their respective owners.

She pointed out that there was an issue of owners not actually staying in the premises but renting them out to foreigners, thus depriving other citizens of limited units and causing social issues with the housing areas.

To combat this, Zuraida proposes that policies be put in place to prevent misuse of the housing units and that that her ministry would be coming up with a national community policy that will help uplift the conditions in affordable housing estates.

“This policy will have policies that will empower the B40, and actual plans to increase community empowerment and development. It will help train them to understand that they need to be responsible for their property, how to manage the community and how to ensure that the environment is clean, healthy and safe.

“By doing so they will understand if their place is good, their property will have better value so when they want to upgrade themselves to better living conditions, they have a better chance of doing so.”

Commenting on the insignificant amount of federal affordable housing projects in Sarawak, Zuraida explained that bringing the affordable housing scheme to the state had always been an issue for parliament due to the remoteness of where some Sarawakians live, but under her purview she made it clear she did not want the situation to continue.

“I remember when I was in parliament, the Sarawakian ministers also used to say that this is how they live and how they choose to live.

“But if we really want to improve their lives then I think we should have the willpower to educate them, to bring them development and to bring them to progress so that the country can progress together.

“They shouldn’t be left behind,” she stressed.

Adding to that, Zuraida went on to propose that the state should start putting more resources into development.

“Sarawak is one of the richest states with RM31 billion in reserves, and there are a lot of development that need to be done.

“The clinics and hospitals are really scarce in Sarawak and private hospitals and clinics are just too expensive for the people, so there needs to be more concern for hospitals, schools and homes. I think they (Sarawak government) should invest in that and not be too stingy.

“With us coming to federal, I hope that the Sarawak government will understand the need to spend money for the people of Sarawak.”