The gov't should take over maintenance of low-cost housing

ADUN SPEAKS | The government should take over maintenance of low-cost and medium-cost housing, especially for the many properties that are unable to from management committees, to ensure good maintenance and decent quality of life in high-rise apartments.

This is necessary to solve the problem of many apartment blocks that are poorly maintained or not even maintained at all.

The best way forward is to amend the Strata Management Act 2013 – currently under the purview of the Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government – to make a new government department responsible for the upkeep of common areas in low- and medium-cost flats instead of MCs.

This would ensure all regular cleaning works are done on schedule, and facilities such as water tanks, lifts, playgrounds, suraus, community halls, parking lots, etc., are properly maintained.

Such an idea is already in practice in other countries like Singapore, where the government maintains Singapore’s public housing HDB flats to ensure a decent quality of life in these residential neighbourhoods.

Since taking over as urban wellbeing, housing and local government minister, Noh Omar (photo) has been actively visiting various low cost flats in Selangor, handing out financial aid related to building maintenance, such as lift repairs, water tank repairs, painting, etc., under the pretext of a caring federal government.

But these quick fixes are hardly fair and sustainable.

On the contrary, such acts from the minister demonstrate the failure of the ministry’s policy on low- and medium-cost flat maintenance.

These apartments come under the same rules and systems as high-end condominiums, i.e., the owners are required to get together to form a management committee, collect sufficient maintenance fees, and maintain the building and surroundings.

However, this is not practical for low- and medium-cost flats. Management committees failed to be formed when there is an insufficient quorum for AGMs; even in cases where there is sufficient quorum, there are not enough owners willing to step up and be part of the committee.

Being part of the committee is hard work, thankless, and something that many in the B40 income group have no time to spend on.

The system for low- and medium-cost flats is not only unpractical, but unfair.

While the government expects these lower-income owners to be responsible for maintaining their common property, the government is already doing the exact opposite for landed property – with everything outside the front gate (roads, drains, parks, community halls, street lights, etc.,) are maintained by the local council.

This is an unfair policy, and needs to be reversed.

It is about time the minister plays his role to govern properly, rather than play Santa Claus for political expediency.

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RAJIV RISHYAKARAN is the state assemblyperson for Bukit Gasing and Dapsy national treasurer.- Mkini