A BN lawmaker proposed the government to close down its affordable housing scheme dubbed the 1Malaysia Housing Programme (PR1MA) as its price were too expensive for even the middle income group.

"I don't understand why we established Prima, as the (PR1MA) houses are quite expensive, just like normal houses," said Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) at the Dewan Rakyat today.

"I don't think we need to set up Pr1ma," he said during a question-and-answer session.

"I want to ask the minister, can the middle income group with a monthly wage of RM2,000 afford to own a house which costs over RM400,000 ?"

Shahidan Kassim, the minister in the prime minister's department, however said the prices of the PR1MA houses were generally lower by 20 percent when compared to market prices.

Zuraida Kamaruddin (PKR-Ampang) shared Ghapur's opinion that PR1MA houses weren't affordable.

Only some PR1MA houses were located in urban areas, she said, while others were not located in any strategic area.

Three-fold increase in value

To this, Shahidan said the PR1MA houses were meant for only the middle-income group as the government had other housing schemes for the lower-income group.

Buyers of PR1MA houses in the outskirts would see the value of their properties grow by up to three-fold in four years time, he claimed.

"This is a scheme that benefits the buyers, not the developers," he said.

PR1MA, a housing scheme established in 2012, allows people with a monthly income of between RM2,500 to RM10,000 to purchase selected houses in the lower market price bracket.