Issue On Housing For The Young Needs Attention - Umno Youth

KUALA LUMPUR -- The government needs to control the excessive construction of luxury homes in urban centres to the extent that the youths, particularly the Malays, cannot afford to buy them.

Wangsa Maju Umno Youth head Wan Shahrul Nizam Wan Othman said following this development, the youths in the urban centres were feeling neglected.

"What needs to be given priority is the construction of affordable homes in the urban areas, this is the aspiration of the urban youths," he said when debating the policy speech of the Umno Youth head, Khairy Jamaluddin at the Umno Youth general assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) on Wednesday.

Wan Shahrul also proposed that the government set up a Bumiputera Real Estate Department to scrutinise and ensure there was a balance between the development of affordable homes and luxury homes in urban centres.

Meanwhile, Tenom Umno Youth head (Sabah), Jamawi Jaafar wanted the government to review the fixing of house prices for the Youth Housing Scheme.

He feared that developers of housing schemes offering houses costing RM500,000 and below would take the opportunity to build more expensive homes.

"Not many young Malays can afford to own homes costing RM500,000 and below. If we want to compete, only young Malays earning a salary of about RM10,000 per month can afford to buy them, and if it is left to the open market, only 10 per cent of the Bumiputera can afford to own these houses.

"So, I appeal that the maximum is lowered to RM170,000 and below which is what the young people earning around RM5,000 and below can afford," he said.

Meanwhile, Perlis Umno Youth assistant secretary Reswan Ramli proposed that the government reviewed the prices of houses under the 1Malaysia Public Housing Scheme (PR1MA) to be implemented in Perlis which he considered as excessive.