Penang executive councillor on housing Jagdeep Singh Deo has urged all to cease and desist from making imputations that the selection process for low, low-medium and affordable homes in the state is “racially biased”.

“Such statements are not only irresponsible and defamatory, but also misleading especially to those applicants who truly deserve such low, low-medium cost and the various range of affordable home units," he said at a press conference today.

Jagdeep was referring to the letter ( photo ) which went viral on social media which showed an offer by a developer in Bayan Lepas for freehold apartments costing RM300,000 each to only one (1) Malay and 32 Chinese applicants.

Sent by the state secretariat, the letter instructed the developer to issue offer letters for the first batch of approved applicants.

State deputy MCA chairman Tan Teik Cheng was quoted in The Star as saying that Penang lacked affordable housing and called for transparency and accountability in the administration of such matters.

“We ask the state government to reveal how the allotment was conducted, and the criteria used to select successful applicants,” The Star quoted him as saying today.

Many more units available

Jagdeep said the project has 2,685 units and the offer in the letter by the developer was the first batch of successful applicants. So far 238 applicants have applied for the units.

He said there will be many more Malay, Chinese and Indian applicants who will be offered a place, if eligible.

"I urge Penangites who are interested in purchasing low, low-medium and affordable housing units to register with the Penang state housing deparment situated at Komtar’s 20th floor," Jagdeep ( photo ) added.

There are many more units available which the state can allocate to eligible applicants, he added.

Jagdeep said the selection of successful applicants for the low, low-medium and affordable housing units were done by the Selection Process Enhancement Committee (SPEC).

SPEC is chaired by Jagdeep, and the committee consists of state excos Phee Boon Poh, Abdul Malik Abul Kassim and Dr Afif Bahardin, MPs such as Jeff Ooi (Jelutong), Ng Wei Aik (Tanjung) and Sim Tze Tzin (Bayan Baru) and Bukit Tengah assemblyman Ong Chin Wen.

Jagdeep said the committee sits at least once a month and selection is based on the 2007 Penang Structure Plan quota for the various housing categories.

These are: for low cost units - Malays (50 percent), Chinese and others (35 percent) and Indians (15 percent);  low-medium units - Malays (30 percent), Chinese and others (55 percent) and Indians (15 percent) and affordable units, a new category introduced in 2014,  the quota is the same as low-medium cost.

He noted that low cost units cost RM42,000, RM72,000 for low-medium cost and between RM200,000 to RM400,000 for affordable housing (on the island) and RM150,000 to RM250,000 (on the mainland).