Mohd Jafni (third from right) and Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi (fourth from left) during their visit to the Housing Development Board in Singapore.
HAVING a database on abandoned housing projects will help Johor address the issue effectively.
State housing and local government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said the state government wanted to emulate Singapore in handling the issue after visiting the republic’s Housing Development Board.
Ailing housing projects, he said, would now be managed by the Johor Housing Board, which was set up in March.
“There are ways we could emulate Singapore and we will focus our efforts in providing more affordable homes to the people of Johor.
“Currently, we are meeting with all property developers in the state to get information on these ailing projects,” he added.
Mohd Jafni said the state has identified 40 projects that were between 10% and 50% completed as the developers had no money to continue the work.
He added the state government planned to draw up agreements with these developers to fund the projects until completion.
“They will have to pay the government back once they have recovered,” he said when contacted.
Mohd Jafni said that data collection was needed before the state housing board could come up with a blueprint to resolve housing issues in the state.
“The main issue is the lack of enforcement, especially against housing developers who refuse to build affordable homes.
“Under current policy, developers must allocate 40% of a project to low-cost housing.”
However, he said developers were only focused on the other 60% when applying for a project, and that the government was finding ways to stop this practice.
Mohd Jafni said the information gathered would also provide a win-win solution for both the government and developers so that the people of Johor would benefit.
“A few developers have agreed to build housing priced between RM100,000 and RM200,000 per unit.
“Houses with a selling price of between RM40,000 and RM80,000 per unit will be given to government-linked agencies such as Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor Sdn Bhd, PIJ Holdings Sdn Bhd and Johor Corporation,” he added.
Mohd Jafni said information would be presented to the public in a simplified form, enabling them to choose a project based on their financial capabilities.
“Under the new system, all developers must share their housing project information with the public,” he said, adding that the system would serve as the first one-stop centre for housing information in the state.
