The prime minister, Najib Razak, handed over keys to new houses to 31 families at Tapak Maju Ternak, Kampung Staponal, Batu Jong, today. The houses cost RM65,000 each.
He said the federal government would acquire private land to build the houses. The federal government pledged to build 1,804 houses: 844 had been completed and 243 are still under construction.
Najib said the government was giving full commitment to completing the remaining units before the end of the year.
The delay in completing the houses arose from difficulty in acquiring land. Noting that the state government was controlled by PAS, he said the federal government was forced to acquire from private landowners.
He denied allegations that the federal government, administered by Barisan Nasional, had treated Kelantan like a stepchild.
One of those rehoused today, Mazuin Mohd Zin, 31, who has four children, said the family had been waiting to move into a new home for a long time since the floods in 2014.
Rokiah Yaakob, 63, also expressed her gratitude to the prime minister and other parties for all the aid rendered to her family. “We had been living in a camp and later in a container but I am so happy to finally get a permanent house,” she said.
– BERNAMA