Johor Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor (third right), Johor health and unity committee chairman Ling Tian Soon (third from left), UDA Holdings Bhd president and chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Salem Kailany (second left) and UDA Holdings Bhd group chief operating officer (property development) Noor Azmi Salleh during the officiating ceremony of the UDA Carnival 2023 at Angsana Johor Bahru Mall, Johor Baru on Saturday. – THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: The Johor State Government is ready to work together with UDA Holdings Bhd (UDA) to provide more affordable homes in the state, says Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor.
The Johor Housing and Local Government Committee chairman said that the state government has also introduced a mechanism to help all property developers sell their products through the e-rumah portal.
“We wanted to give our assurance not only to UDA but to all property developers in the state that we have a completed housing ecosystem that will help them sell their products.
“We have also introduced the Plan, Design, and Review Committee (PDRC) to help property developers discuss the affordable homes project that they are planning to build.
“So far, we have met 57 property developers in the state who have given their commitment to developing 14,000 affordable homes priced under RM300,000 by the year 2026,” he said.
He said this when met by reporters after officiating the UDA Carnival 2023 at Angsana Johor Bahru Mall here on Saturday.
Mohd Salem (second left) presenting a gift to Mohd Jafni (second right) during the officiating ceremony of the UDA Carnival 2023 at Angsana Johor Bahru Mall, Johor Baru. Also present, were Ling (right) and Noor Azmi (left).
Meanwhile, UDA Holdings Bhd president and chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Salem Kailany said that UDA has introduced various affordable home projects in Johor for the past 45 years.
“Any affordable home project that we have will also be registered under the e-rumah system provided by the Johor State Government so that it will be centralised,” he said.
On the programme, Mohd Salem said that Johor is the first location for the UDA Carnival 2023, where the next location will be held at Tasek Gelugor Commercial Centre, Penang (Oct 27–Oct 29), Lintasan Deasoka Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Nov 24–Nov 26), and Angsana Ipoh Mall (Dec 8–Dec 10).
“Our programme in Johor started on Sept 29 until Oct 1 where we targeted more than 100,000 visitors.
“The highlight for this year is that we are combining two programmes into one, namely UDA Ria Property Campaign and USHAniaga,” he said, adding that a total of 500 small enterprises are targeted to partake in the event with sales worth more than RM10mil.
The carnival aims to help entrepreneurs, especially small enterprises and those just beginning to do business, take the initiative to identify who needs help, proceed to advise them, and also help them market their products, he added.
“UDA is one of the agencies under the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives where we have taken a proactive approach through the USHAniaga programme by providing various incentives to the entrepreneurs.
“The initiatives include entrepreneur booth, agencies under the ministry showcase, the Biz Clinic guidance and consultation programme, business matching, and dialogue sessions with the ministry,” he said, adding that this initiative will ensure that the ministry's approach is holistic and conducive.
The carnival is also a platform to promote UDA properties in the country, especially in Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, Pahang, and Sarawak, he added.
Mohd Salem (right) showing a model of the property to Mohd Jafni (second right) during the officiating ceremony of the UDA Carnival 2023 at Angsana Johor Bahru Mall, Johor Baru.
“UDA is expected to introduce ‘UDA Heights'—one of our latest property products—in October this year.
“The project is developed with the latest modern design, is spacious and comfy for the whole family, and comes in two types of housing designs: a two-storey 80-by-90-square-foot bungalow or a two-storey semi-detached house that has five bedrooms,” he said.
UDA is also expected to introduce a two-storey housing project and two-storey and three-storey shoplots in Bandar UDA Utama next year, he shared.
“We hope that the introduction of these properties in Johor will be able to further develop the property industry in the state.
“The variety of our products is also aimed at providing choices for the families in Johor to own high-quality property in the state,” he explained.
Mohd Salem (right) accompanied Mohd Jafni (second right) to meet an entrepreneur during the officiating ceremony of the UDA Carnival 2023 at Angsana Johor Bahru Mall, Johor Baru.
Mohd Salem also shared that UDA has also waived off their tenants’ rental payments in Angsana Johor Bahru Mall for two years during the pandemic, worth RM30mil.
“We have also managed to retain our occupancy rate at 98% to date, where 51% of them are Bumiputera entrepreneurs, which is in line with UDA’s aim to provide a place for them to run their business in a competitive space.
“Angsana Johor Bahru Mall is also in the midst of completing a multipurpose hall that can cater to 1,000 people at one time and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
“There will also be a new McDonald's restaurant next to the mall that will start operating in October this year,” he added.
