Zuraida outlines her priorities for second stint at housing ministry

Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin being welcomed by the ministry’s officials this afternoon.

PUTRAJAYA: Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin will be using her second stint in charge of the ministry to focus on the implementation of several key policies.

The only minister in the previous Pakatan Harapan government to retain her post in the new Perikatan Nasional administration, Zuraida was warmly received by the ministry’s officials when she clocked in this afternoon.

“This time, the focus will be on the National Cleanliness Policy we launched last year, waste-to-energy (WTE) development and waste parks,” she said when asked about her priorities.

“I have gained a lot of experience over the last 22 months as a minister. I am thankful I have been given the chance to continue leading this ministry,” she added.

The National Cleanliness Policy was launched last November to ensure the proper disposal of all types of garbage – with an emphasis on a recycling programme which would allow people to turn garbage into a source of supplementary income.

Last April, Zuraida said the ministry planned to build WTE plants – where rubbish is incinerated to produce electricity – in every state by 2020. However, the first plant in Ladang Tanah Merah in Negri Sembilan has been hit by numerous delays which the developer has blamed on the geological formations at the site.

Waste parks, meanwhile, are centralised areas meant for plastic waste recycling projects.

Among the Ampang MP’s other notable policies are the National Housing Policy and the National Community Policy.

Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin clocking in to work at the ministry this afternoon.

The National Housing Policy is aimed at ensuring that all Malaysians, particularly the B40 income group, have access to affordable housing.

The rent-to-own (RTO) scheme, which was set up to assist potential buyers of people’s housing project (PPR) units who are not eligible for loans by financial institutions, was another initiative to increase home ownership announced during Zuraida’s first stint in the ministry.

The National Community Policy, meanwhile, is aimed at encouraging resident communities to be active in the management and maintenance of public and common properties in their residential areas.

“We have an effective team. A lot of the policies which I helped formulate are now in the implementation stage,” she said.

“We have a lot of good policies. God willing, the rakyat will be able to see what we have been working on over the last 22 months.” - FMT