Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan suggested the setting up of a bank specifically to provide housing loan facility for the public by the federal government.

This, he said, would facilitate house buyers to apply for loans, while helping those who had yet to own a house, because of problems in obtaining financing from commercial banks, to buy their own house.

“If this cannot be done, we request the federal government to allow the National Housing Department to issue money lending licence. At present, issuing of the money lending licence is under my ministry, but the licence is to give loans for personal purposes.

“So, if possible, the licence is given to big cooperatives or insurance companies which are capable of providing fund for housing loans,” he added.

Abdul Rahman, who is Kota Belud Member of Parliament, told this to reporters  after giving HS Ekang the key to his house which was reconstructed after it was damaged in a fire in Kampung Pantai Emas in Kota Belud today.

The house was built at a cost of about RM47,000 by officers and personnel from the Sabah Fire and Rescue Department under the national blue ocean strategy.

The funds for building the house were provided by the Rural and Regional Development Ministry.

On the 2015 Budget  which would be tabled by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is also Finance Minister, next month, Abdul Rahman said he hoped his ministry would be given a bigger allocation, especially for affordable homes, like the MyHome and 1Malaysia People’s Housing (PR1MA) projects.

He also hoped the conditions for buying houses would be relaxed and  bureaucratic red tapes to be reduced to make easier for the people to own a house.

“I hope the Finance Ministry is able to provide a fund for land purchase and the fund can be channeled to the National Housing Department to buy land at strategic locations in the outskirts of town, where in 10 years, the place would develop into a township,” he added.

- Bernama