KOTA KINABALU: Sabah may provide state land to encourage developers to build affordable homes for the B40 and M40 groups, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.The Chief Minister said this was because building affordable houses was one of the Sabah government’s top priorities.
As such, he called on the Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers Association (Shareda) to work with the state government.
“On our part, we are willing to consider allocating government land in Sepanggar to be developed by Shareda,” he said during the Shareda Nite dinner at a hotel here on Nov 3.
“This is on condition that the prices of these houses are lowered to be within reach of the intended B40 and M40 groups who will benefit most from this initiative.“This is also the state government’s commitment to boosting the real estate industry,” he added.The Chief Minister said the state’s commitment to providing affordable homes was reflected in its RM125.6mil Rumah Mesra Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) programme in all of Sabah’s 73 constituencies.His speech was delivered by Deputy Chief Minister II and Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam.Hajiji also commended Shareda for being proactive in raising issues related to the industry such as the perimeters and adjustments for Sabah’s Malaysia My Second Home (SMM2H) programme.He said an enactment for the revised SMM2H will be tabled soon in the state legislative assembly.
“When SMM2H takes off, we expect an influx of talent, expertise and investments, which will benefit Sabah.
“The SMM2H programme, with inputs from various stakeholders including Shareda, has been fine-tuned to make Sabah more attractive to foreigners wishing to move to and live in the state,” Hajiji said.
The Chief Minister also agreed in principle to allow bumiputra owners to liquidate their properties without going through a waiting period and sell them to local and foreign buyers.
He said he had discussed the matter with Shareda president Datuk Chua Soon Ping on implementing this for all new developments in Sabah.
“I have informed the state Local Government and Housing Ministry to look into this matter and take the necessary action.
“Bumiputra owners will continue to enjoy the special discount of 5% for bumiputra lots,” he added.
He said Shareda had also touched on the proposal for 99-year leases to be renewed at any point during the tenancy and the implementation of i-Miliki, another initiative to assist first-time home ownership.
The state is also committed to supporting green building technology and will encourage more developers to build projects that comply with green standards.
