GEORGE TOWN, Dec 4 — The Penang state government has not built any replacement Bumiputera housing units since 2009, state Umno Liaison Committee chief Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Osman said today.
He said the state government had allowed private developers exemptions from setting aside Bumiputera quota lots in their projects by paying a fee.
The fee was then channelled to the state’s Bumiputera Housing Trust Fund which Zainal Abidin pointed out is increasing.
“According to the Auditor General’s Report 2016, the balance in the Bumiputera Housing Trust Fund totalled RM110.93 million as at the end of 2016 which was an increase of RM15.31 million compared to RM85.62 million at the end of 2015,” he said in a statement today.
He said the increase in the fund was due to contributions from developers that had paid for the Bumiputera quota exemption fees for 49 projects in 2016.
“The total number of Bumiputera units exempted were 1,633 units,” he said.
“Since 2009, the state government did not build any housing units to replace the Bumiputera housing units that were exempted from projects,” he added.
He claimed the state only spent RM4.64 million from the Bumiputera Housing Trust Fund as 20 per cent payment to purchase 320 low medium cost units under the state’s own affordable housing project, The Rise @ SP Chelliah.
“Bumiputera housing quota and the distribution of affordable housing units is controlled by the government so I do not understand why the state needed to purchase those units from the private developer of The Rise @ SP Chelliah to be sold as Bumiputera lots,” he said.
He demanded to know why the state government had purchased the units from this particular project and yet it did not do so with other projects by other private developers.
“The state government must list out how many Bumiputera housing units were exempted since 2009,” he said.
He accused the DAP-led state government of not wanting to prepare housing for Bumiputeras in Penang.
“The state government is also not keen in preparing low cost and low medium cost housing for the people of Penang,” he claimed.
He said the federal government did not fail in fulfilling its promises to the people where a total 34 projects with 5,940 affordable housing units in Penang were implemented by four federal government agencies.
“A total 19 projects which involved 4,017 units are in the implementation stage while 39 new projects to build 46,602 units all over Penang are under planning now,” he said.
He said the overall number of affordable housing units, that have been completed, being implemented or are under planning in Penang for the period 2008 and 2018, totalled 59,569 units.
He accused the state government of taking pride in showing its ability to accumulate funds in the trust fund than to prepare adequate housing for Bumiputeras in Penang.
“This approach, in terms of morally and socially, is a denial of the Bumiputera’s rights to buy their own homes,” he said.
He called on the people of Penang to be more aware of the “lies and political tricks” of the state administration.
