Tiang speaking during the State Legislative Assembly sitting today. – Penerangan photo

KUCHING (Nov 26) The Bintulu Development Authority (BDA) has allocated about 528.31 acres of land at the Sungai Plan area in Bintulu, among others, for affordable housing, said Deputy Public Health, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Michael Tiang.

He said the proposed development plan has been submitted to the State Planning Authority (SPA) for consideration.

“Phase 1, 2 and 3 proposals consist of 1,601 units of affordable houses.

“Out of this, 980 units are Putera Flats, 308 units are detached lots, and 313 units are terrace houses,” he said during the question-and-answer session at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here.

He was responding to Johnny Pang Leong Ming’s (GPS-Tanjong Batu) question regarding the government’s plan to increase the supply of affordable housing in view of housing prices rising sharply in Bintulu.

Tiang said the government has also put in place several supporting measures, including imposing holding conditions and buyer eligibility criteria to prevent market speculation on affordable housing; conducting land searches to identify and acquire potential sites for affordable housing development; and opening new residential areas through the Village Extension Scheme under the Land and Survey Department.

Other measures include enforcing the natives’ housing quota in selected residential developments, where prices are controlled and units reserved exclusively for native Sarawakians, as well as implementating urban renewal projects through Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA).

Tiang added that the government has improved eligibility criteria by expanding the Housing Deposit and Repayment Assistance Scheme (HDRAS) to cover houses not sanctioned by the government, including sub-sale of existing houses and auctioned properties, provided the selling price is less than RM300,000.

“This expansion will enable the first-time house buyers to have broader options in terms of locality,” he said.

He noted that the government recognises the growing struggle faced by young Sarawakians and families, especially those in the B40 and M40 groups, to purchase their first homes, and has rolled out multiple initiatives to improve access and affordability.

“Through the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), the government is actively developing Rumah Spektra Permata (RSP) units priced between RM90,000 and RM160,000 per unit.

“In addition, the government through Mutiara Mortgage & Credit Sdn Bhd (Mutiara), provides low-interest mortgage financing at one per cent per annum for the B40 group and three per cent for the M40 group, as well as a RM10,000 financial assistance to pay the housing deposit for any houses priced below RM300,000 under the Housing Deposit and Repayment Assistance Scheme (HDRAS),” he said.

He pointed out that the Sarawak government continues to collaborate with the federal Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) to implement the ‘Program Perumahan Rakyat’ (PPR), ‘Program Residensi Rakyat’ (PRR), the Urban Poor Eradication Programme (PPKB) and ‘Rumah Mesra Rakyat’ (RMR) projects by Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB).

“These include PPR Seduan in Sibu, PRR Kidurong in Bintulu and PRR Samariang in Kuching.

“Additionally, KPKT has also implemented PPKB to improve the living condition of eligible applicants through house repair and ‘bina baru’ in urban areas,” he said.

In order to control housing prices and ensure affordability, Tiang said the Sarawak government has implemented housing ownership policies under various affordable housing schemes such as Spektra Lite, Spektra Medium and Sri Pertiwi, each based on specific income and eligibility criteria.

“To further strengthen this effort, the Sarawak government has introduced the Sarawak Housing Contribution Trust Fund initiative, which requires housing developers to pay the contribution in-lieu of building affordable housing.

“By using this fund, the Sarawak government, through statutory bodies, will implement affordable housing projects,” he said.