Deputy minister: Addressing abandoned housing projects a key focus

Addressing the problem of “sick” and abandoned housing projects across the country will be the main focus of the Local Government Development Ministry, said Deputy Minister Akmal Nasir.

He said that housing issues were already being studied when he became Johor Bahru MP in 2018 and before he was appointed deputy minister.

“The issue of ‘sick’ projects or houses with problems should be the focus, even though Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming himself has stated that he will take the initiative to revamp the National Housing Policy (NHP).

“This (NHP) is more focused on the future, but the fact is that even now there are still many houses with problems,” Bernama reported.

Akmal (above) said a meeting will be held with the National Housing Department after the first Dewan Rakyat session on Monday to review and discuss issues related to the ministry.

“Next week, I will hold a special meeting with the department. I think it is better to study the current situation in detail before making any plans,” he said.

He said he needed to understand the issue from the perspective of policymakers and also at the implementation level so that all problems are not only identified but also solved.   

Akmal said that while the ministry is focusing more on development at the federal level, it will continue its good cooperation with state and local governments for the benefit of the people.

A “sick project” is defined as one that has been delayed by more than 30 percent compared to its scheduled progress or one whose sales and purchase agreement (SPA) has lapsed.

Ex-plantation workers in S'gor seek intervention to stop their eviction

PKNS has identified several locations for foreign worker dormitories

LETTER | Towards a sustainable housing industry

Half of public servants still can't own homes - civil service union

Umany slams UM on students' lodging issues

Johor to use S'pore's HDB as benchmark in developing affordable homes - MB