‘Govt must ensure prices don’t rise’
HOUSING PROJECTS: Or they will add to household debt, says Fomca official
THE government needs to ensure the completion of housing projects for houses priced below RM250,000, said the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca).
Its deputy president, Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman, said this following the 2017 Budget announcement that the government would provide vacant land to government-linked companies and Perumahan Rakyat 1Malaysia (PR1MA) to build more than 30,000 houses priced between RM150,000 and RM300,000.
“The government has set up a payment scheme of end-financing for housing projects, such as PR1MA. Through this scheme, people who earn RM3,000 and below can get a loan of up to RM295,000.
“However, it must ensure that the prices are maintained at RM250,000 and below because if they increase, it will burden the buyer, who has to pay monthly instalments.”
He added that this would only increase household debt.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the scheme would make financing easier and accessible to housebuyers as loans of up to 100 per cent would be offered.
On the government’s initiatives to increase the income of the B40 group, there were calls from the people to set up one-stop centres to make it easier for the recipients to enjoy the benefits.
In welcoming the initiative, padi farmer Mohamed Rafiz Mohamed Rahman, 32, said there should be one-stop centres to assist them to apply for the benefits.
“It is a good move and we are happy with the government’s initiatives to help us. However, most of us are often not aware of the types of assistance available or how to benefit from them.
“With a one-stop centre, farmers, villagers, fishermen and those in the B40 group can get advice and help on how to obtain the benefits.”
Without such centres, they would be forced to go from one government agency to another, he said.
Nasi lemak seller Ramlah Azariah, 42 agreed.
“I want to apply for a business loan as well as a loan to build a house on my own land, but I am not sure how to go about it. It would be good if there are one-stop centres where I can check on the benefits.”
When tabling the 2017 Budget yesterday, Najib had introduced a slew of benefits for the B40 group.
They included the MyBeautiful New Home programme with an allocation of RM200 million, where 5,000 homes would be built with prices ranging from RM40,000 to RM50,000.
He said the government would finance RM20,000, while the remaining would be paid in instalments.
“These houses will be built on their own land, land permitted by the landowners and land awarded by the state governments,” he said.