Chong welcomes discount of 30 pct on PR1MA Bintawa Riverfront Apartment units
KUCHING: Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Chong Chieng Jen welcomes the 30 per cent discount currently offered on units at PR1MA Bintawa Riverfront Apartment development here.
According to him, the discount comprises a 10-per cent rebate from Perbadanan PR1MA Malaysia’s ( PR1MA) Home Ownership Campaign ( HOC), and a 20 per cent rebate offered by developers of the apartment project.
However, he questions the substantial discount being offered as this brings to light the previous matter about the apartments being overpriced, starting at RM265,000 per unit.
However with the 30 per cent discount, aspiring home owners would be able to enjoy savings of around RM90,000, he adds.
“PR1MA was introduced by the then-Barisan Nasional ( BN) government on the pretext and excuse that it was supposed to provide home ownership to the poor and as such, they subsidised the projects to enable the poor to buy their own house.
“But as usual, such noble policies of BN were tainted and always came together with unreasonable profit for its cronies so much so that the houses offered under PR1MA were too expensive, until the poor could not afford them,” he said at a press conference held at Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak headquarters here yesterday.
He said he had witnessed for himself how Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) leaders had promoted the project to the people, urging them to ‘quickly go and buy this once-in-a-lifetime offer’.
“In fact, they were cheating the people into buying expensive houses, as now it’s proven that with the 30 per cent discount, the developer can still survive.”
Chong sympathised with those who had purchased the apartment units when the development was introduced and had signed the contracts – making them contractually- bound to buy the units at inflated prices.
“Nevertheless, those who want to seek rebates on the initial housing prices can contact us and we will try our best to fight for them by liaising with the (federal) Ministry of Housing and Local Government, so they can try to discuss with the developer to seek for a reduction of or rebates on the initial prices,” he assured the people.