STEP UP EFFORTS TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING, SABAH GOVT TOLD

Jannie Lasimbang

21 Mar 2021

KOTA KINABALU: The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS)-led Government has been urged to step up its efforts un providing affordable housing to help young people in need of owning a home.

Kapayan assemblyperson Jannie Lasimbang said, most young couples wanting to start a family are unable to afford a new home due to the high price of houses in Sabah.

In addition to that, the pandemic has caused significant economic damage which has negatively affected the livelihoods of ordinary citizens, she added.

"I can safely say that Sabahans now may no longer get to own homes anytime soon, with our serious combination of weak household income and house prices that are far higher than the national average.

"I urge the GRS government to step up efforts to especially help young people and those who are in need to own a home. The Warisan Plus government introduced the electronic Planning Permission (ePP) to fast-track approval system that contributed to the lower cost of real-estate development" she stated in a press statement today.

According to Jannie, she had asked Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Masidi Manjun if there were plans to review the house prices that are too expensive, especially in Kota Kinabalu and Penampang, during a state assembly sitting in December last year.

She indicated that lower-income citizens should have the opportunity to own a house.

"The replied I received was that a revaluation committee on house sale price will re-evaluate the suitability of house prices offered by private developers before the developer's license is issued to them."

She said, the ministry also informed that a 30 per cent profit margin method has been implemented in order to control the increase in house prices in Sabah.

"It added that the adoption of a profit margin not exceeding 30 per cent is a reasonable level of profit for each housing project, and housing developers should provide strong justifications for any project that exceeds this profit percentage.

"Based on available records, there are 957 units of low-cost apartment types and 808 units of medium cost terrace house in Kapayan.

"Many people are suffering as they cannot afford to rent, let alone buy a house. With imbalance between property prices and income today, it is hard for them to own a house unless they come from a wealthy family" Jannie quipped.

Meanwhile, 30-year-old Lukman said that it is very hard to buy a house especially in urban areas because of his small basic wage and the high cost of living in Kota Kinabalu area.

He asserted that properties like Taman Prima Jaya, a semi-detached housing in a low-density and exclusive residential estate is not worth it and expensive.

"Apart from constructing more affordable rental housing such as the Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR), I also urge the government to control the current house prices and set a maximum rental rate of affordable housing such as low and low-medium cost houses to help provide low-income earners with a comfortable place to live," he said.