RISM vice-president Brigadier General (Rtd) Mohd Amin Din said the state and federal governments were unable to ensure the provision of affordable housing for those in need because the developers were asking for too-high prices.
Amin hoped the establishment of a special unit, inspired by the now-defunct Scottish Special Housing Association, would enable ideas such as the Bangsa Johor Dream Homes project in Johor to catch on and be brought to life in all the states.
“With the special unit, the government can monitor and control (the housing sector) and make a survey of the number of buyers, according to race, and analyse the data collected and check the possibility of fraud and dishonesty.
“They can also focus on the type of housing that is affordable to the middle-income groups,” he told FMT.
Scottish Special Housing Association was established in 1937 to provide good-quality public housing. Responsible for the construction of many public housing estates, it employed a large team of architects, engineers and quantity surveyors and was one of the first to adopt Computer Aided Architectural Design.
It was disbanded in 1989 and some of its functions transferred to Scottish Homes.
In slamming the practice of pricing homes beyond the reach of low- and middle-income earners, Amin hoped the government and the developers would take a leaf from the Bangsa Johor Dream Homes project which had been warmly received by the people.
“Most developers are motivated by profit, while the majority of people can only stand by and watch. Ultimately, the rich will continue to get richer and the poor, who cannot help themselves, must be protected.
“Those earning a fixed income are unable to afford a home because of the unreasonable prices.”
The Bangsa Johor Dream Homes project is the brainchild of Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.
The project offers bungalows and semi-detached houses at below RM100,000 each.
Three-bedroom units, with a built-up space of 103 sq m each, are reserved for Johoreans who cannot afford or have not bought a home, or who are in the low-income group. These are priced at RM80,000 upwards.
The Sultan has said that for a start, 1,840 homes would be built in three locations – Bandar Dato Onn, Bandar Baru and Bukit Saujana Majidee – in Johor. The homes would be equipped with basic appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators.
More than 265,000 interested buyers have made their pre-applications online since the project was launched.