Dream come true: Azman (right) and wife Faridah Khamis with a mock key to their new house.
PONTIAN: Merdeka Day will hold a deeper meaning this year for labourer Azman Ahmad and his family, who finally have a house they can call their own.
The 52-year-old received the keys to his new home, built under the government’s free housing programme for the poor, at a ceremony here yesterday.
“For 23 years, I have been renting a place to stay and now I am looking forward to moving into my own house,” he said.
Azman said he planned to move in within the next two weeks.
“It will be sometime right before National Day. This Merdeka brings a whole new meaning for me as this new house marks a new beginning for me, my wife and four children,” he added.
Azman’s new single-storey home, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, cost about RM88,000 and was constructed on his mother’s land.
He was among four recipients from the Pontian and Tanjung Piai parliamentary constituencies who received free homes under the Rumah Kasih Johor (RKJ) initiative.
State housing and local government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said all 500 RKJ houses in Johor would be completed by next year.
He said about 400 applications had been received so far, and since last year, 174 families had received their homes.
Mohd Jafni, who is also Bukit Permai assemblyman, said the state government was prepared to increase the number of RKJ homes to 700 units if demand continues to rise.
Explaining the eligibility requirements, he said priority was given to first-time homeowners with a household income of RM850 or less.
“Both husband and wife must not own any property.
“Applicants must also have land, either their own or provided by relatives, such as siblings, who allow them to build a house there,” he said.
