KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is targeting the delivery of 500,000 affordable homes by 2030 under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), as part of a broader national aspiration to build one million homes over the next decade, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said the target reflects the government's commitment to ensuring that the country's construction industry delivers tangible benefits to ordinary Malaysians, particularly in addressing housing needs.
"For example, the 13th Malaysia Plan, we set up a target of delivering 500,000 affordable homes by 2030, as part of the wider national aspiration of one million homes between 2026–2035," he said.
Anwar said this in his speech at the opening ceremony of International Construction Week (ICW) and BuildXpo Malaysia 2026 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) here on Tuesday (Nov 10).
He said technological advancements must help accelerate housing delivery without compromising essential standards.
"Now, technology must help us deliver homes more efficiently, without compromising safety, quality and liveability and I would add, cost (too)," he said.
Anwar also stressed the importance of maintaining competitive tender processes, saying transparent governance could help the government reduce unnecessary expenditure and deliver more projects for the public.
He said greater transparency and adherence to good governance principles would allow the government to build more and provide greater assistance without imposing excessive costs on the public sector.
The Prime Minister also cautioned against pursuing large-scale developments that failed to address the needs of ordinary Malaysians.
"The transformation of our construction industry must ultimately translate into tangible benefits for the rakyat, not the least being affordable housing because otherwise there will continue to be disconnect with these gigantic mega projects and buildings which have no relevance to the welfare of the majority of our rakyat," he said.
Anwar warned that development which prioritised physical infrastructure and economic growth while overlooking societal needs could lead to public dissatisfaction.
He added that the construction industry's transformation should ultimately be measured not merely by the number of projects completed or technologies introduced, but also by the quality of homes and infrastructure delivered to Malaysians.
