GEORGE TOWN, Dec 16 — The DAP-led Penang government is ready to take on applicants seeking to buy affordable homes under the PR1MA plan if the federal government is unable to cope with demand, state executive councillor Jagdeep Singh Deo said today.
He urged Putrajaya and PR1MA Corporation to share its list of applicants to the Penang state housing department for consideration.
"The Penang state government is open to receive PR1MA's list of applicants for our consideration so as to realise the dreams and aspirations of these applicants so as not to disappoint them in the manner that PR1MA has," he told a press conference in Komtar here.
He noted the recent statement made at the Property Guru's Property Market Outlook 2 Forum two days ago that PR1MA was a total failure and added that other recent reports revealed there were some 1.2 million applicants for affordable housing under PR1MA throughout the country.
"What is to become of these applicants?" he asked.
He pointed out that the Penang state government has some 12 housing projects in the pipeline with a total 22,512 units of low-cost, low-medium cost and affordable housing units.
The private sector, under the state government's Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative, has to date submitted applications to build some 9,047 units of affordable housing by 16 developers.
Jagdeep said there have been news reports and announcements that PR1MA Corporation plans to build 2,100 units of affordable housing in Bukit Gelugor and 9,564 units in Balik Pulau.
"The National Housing Council meeting held on August 21 chaired by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced that out of 153,807 PR1MA affordable housing units approved as of July 2015, Penang was said to have been allocated the highest number of PR1MA housing of 24,923 units," he claimed.
Despite these announcements, he said Penang has yet to receive a single application for such a project by PR1MA to date.
