HOUSING MUST PRIORITISE HUMANITY AND BASIC NEEDS - PM ANWAR

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has emphasised that housing projects, especially affordable homes, must address human-centric aspects and the basic needs of the people.

He said that while pursuing development progress, it is crucial to avoid neglecting fundamental housing requirements for the community as a whole.

Anwar stated that affordable housing development should not only provide comfort for the people but must also be of high quality.

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"I wish to highlight ... we all want to achieve economic growth, but we must remind ourselves that development must be humane.

"For example, if high-end housing has premium swimming pools, at the very least, affordable housing should provide a pool that people can benefit from. If luxury homes have golf courses, the people should at least have playgrounds.

"We provide the best facilities we can, so they feel they are part of society and that the country recognises their role," he said during the Joint Development Agreement Signing Ceremony for the Bakat Baru MADANI Affordable Housing between Penang Development Corporation (PDC), PDC Properties (PDCP) and SkyWorld here today. 

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Also present at the event were Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming and Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

Anwar stressed that despite celebrating the country’s achievements in other fields, it would be insufficient if affordable housing projects for the people were neglected.

"I talk about progress in microchips and artificial intelligence (AI), which are dominated by skilled groups, but there is no success without cleaners, cooks, technicians and laundry workers.

"That’s why when discussing development, we must not overlook the need for these elements (humanity), because if we are not reminded, we tend to forget," he said.  

At the event, Anwar, alongside Nga and Chow, witnessed the signing of the agreement by PDC Properties chief executive officer Ismail Ishak, Penang Development Corporation chief executive officer Datuk Aziz Bakar, SkyWorld Development Berhad executive chairman and founder Datuk Seri Ng Thien Ping and SkyWorld Development Berhad chief executive officer Lee Chee Seng.

The project, to be developed in Seberang Jaya and Batu Kawan, Penang, will provide 35,000 units of affordable homes and Bakat Baru MADANI Homes, priced between RM225,000 and RM420,000, with the entire construction expected to take 10 years.

Commenting on the project, Anwar expressed hope that the Penang government and developers would complete project approval processes within 45 days.

He said the housing project should not face disruptions due to delays in approvals.

“During the launch of the Residensi MADANI project in Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur, I set a 45-day deadline for the approval of all documents ... and it was done. Normally, it takes six months.

“Therefore, I will launch this project around the end of January or the first week of February next year ... meaning all approvals must be completed within less than two months, issues resolved, and the project can begin within two weeks,” he said.

--BERNAMA