Plan affordable housing townships with sustainable ecosystem - group

 

The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) has proposed that the government plan new townships primarily for social and affordable housing rental.

In a statement today, the association said the new townships should be of adequate size to create a sustainable ecosystem that would attract industries, commercial activities, and generate employment for the residents.

“Planned with public transportation connectivity and community services, residents of these new towns are also able to seek employment farther afield,” it said.

ACCCIM made the proposal following Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s recent call to review the current affordable housing policy.

It said the review has been long overdue as the delivery of affordable housing has caused free-market and middle-income housing to become unaffordable.

“If this situation is not addressed, both affordable housing and free-market housing construction will be stymied, leading to housing delivery falling below population growth and aggravating the shortages.

“This would steer higher escalation of house prices and also the shortage of rental housing and exorbitant rentals leading to the homeless situation in many supposedly developed countries and global cities,” it said.

ACCCIM said the current practice of allowing such highly subsidised houses to be sold for a windfall profit would create an insatiable appetite for these highly subsidised houses.

This would lead to the exploitation and profiteering of charity, the association said.

It added that the notion that property developers bear the subsidy is incorrect as this was passed through in the pricing of the free-market middle-income houses.

“The most unfair and inequitable outcome is that the middle-income house buyers are the ones carrying the subsidy in the unnecessary higher middle-income houses prices.

“Middle-income house prices have breached the affordability levels, and many in this stratum are not able to own their dream homes,” it said.

- Bernama