KUALA LUMPUR: Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin defended her ministry’s move to rebrand the People's Housing Project (PPR) to Malaysia's Housing Project (PPM), saying they were both different concepts.
Though the rebranding still focused on the B40 group, she said the concept would be different as the houses built would be bigger with better facilities.
However, when asked if the prices of the rebranded houses would increase, Zuraida refused comment.
“I cannot be telling you everything. You will misquote me and everything will go crazy. But this (the rebranding exercise) is a different concept. The houses are bigger with at least 900 square feet compared to the current PPR houses where houses are only 700 square feet,” she said.
She also said the houses would be situated at strategic locations, unlike the current PPR locations and would focus on ensuring tenants obtain bank loans.
“Currently they have no accessibility to a bank loan. But when they enter a rent to own scheme, they can upgrade themselves to an ownership scheme where banks will look at their rental payment record,” she said.
She also said there might be a quota, not on ethnic groups but by economic groups to promote integrated living among Malaysians.
The rebranding, she said was also to uplift the morale of current PPR residents as they have always felt downgraded.
Zuraida was responding to criticism from Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow who said the rebranding exercise would result in higher market prices and would be out of reach for the B40 group.
He had urged the ministry to review their decision as the minimum price of the yet-to-be-announced PPM was expected to be RM90,000. Currently, PPR houses are between RM35,000 to RM40,000.
Zuraida was speaking at the 5th Annual Conference and Exhibition for Smart Cities Asia 2019.
On smart cities, Zuraida said Malaysia had yet to reach the maturity level for a smart city development.
She said if the concept was brought to Malaysia, it should be done in a more systematic and holistic manner, instead of piecemeal basis.
“When smart cities are developed on a piecemeal basis, it does not take into account the long term effect. There would not be any connectivity, mobility or sustainability.
“For Malaysia, we are not mature for a smart city development. However, with this sort of conference, the ministry can get a better idea on how this should be done,” she said, adding that smart cities were mostly focused on elite groups and not the masses; and that the masses were not ready for it.
She said though Malaysia was moving towards becoming a smart city, it would take at least five years to educate and prepare the people for it.
On an unrelated matter, Zuraida said she and some party members were waiting to meet party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and that he was willing to see them.
She said that since Anwar had promised to meet them, the group would wait till he initiates the reconciliation meeting.
Recently, Zuraida said that it was not for PKR’s unelected secretary-general to reply letters addressed to the party president.
She said the letter was not addressed to Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail as his position was only based on appointment.
Saifuddin had earlier shot down Zuraida’s request for a reconciliation meeting between the two factions in PKR.
