She added that the sale of the land was to ensure the construction of 800 affordable housing units at the developer’s own cost.

“This will save the government money as the costs will be borne by the developer,” she told FMT, following a statement by Seputeh MP Teresa Kok expressing regret over the decision by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to sell the land.

Kok said she was not “informed or involved” in the approval of the sale and only became aware of it after Mah Sing announced the RM108 million agreement on July 10.

She said the company planned to develop the land in two phases, with the first phase involving the construction of M Aspira, which includes over 1,600 serviced apartment units on 3.7 acres of land.

The second phase involves the construction of 800 affordable homes under the name Residensi Madani on the remaining 2.47 acres.

The plot of land sold by DBKL to Mah Sing Group was previously reclaimed from developer Aset Kayamas by the government when Khalid Samad was federal territories minister.

Kok said Khalid made this decision after considering complaints about “overdevelopment” from Taman Desa residents.

Meanwhile, Zaliha said the sale to a highly credible developer was crucial to ensure that affordable housing could be completed within the stipulated time.

“DBKL has not yet issued planning permission to the developer, which must still comply with development conditions, including conducting a social impact assessment, traffic impact assessment, and environmental impact assessment to ensure that the development is controlled,” she said.