KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's government said it is to focus on assisting those in need by providing more affordable housing in the country after housing prices in the Southeast Asian country continue to rise, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said. He said the government understands the issues at hand in terms of housing costs and is looking at strategies to develop new programs as part of its “people first” concept. “House prices are way too high. An individual starting work as a government employee is unable to buy an affordable house,” he told Malaysian journalists covering a working visit in China. Back in Kuala Lumpur, low-income residents are hopeful that the government will follow through on their promises, telling Bikyamasr.com that the cost of living in the city has risen dramatically. “Even though many of us have jobs and are working, the cost of living and especially housing has been something that worries us. We can't afford new homes any longer,” said one construction worker. “If the government gives new opportunities, it will help.” Yassin said helping the people to own affordable houses “would be an important agenda of the government.” He said the focus would be on making available houses which cost RM300,000 and below after a study was made on the income of the people and the selling prices of houses. “The private sector might be encouraged with incentives to build affordable houses,” he added. “They (private developers) can still profit by taking a small margin if the number of buyers is large,” he said. However, there were matters pertaining to housing sites which the federal and state governments and the ministry concerned had to help resolve, he said, adding that some areas “might not be suitable as housing sites or they might not attract people.” The deputy PM said he anticipated that the affordable housing program could be expedited after the unveiling of Budget 2013 on September 28. Asked for his comment on the budget to be proposed by the opposition, particularly with regard to affordable houses, the deputy prime minister said their budget did not have any legal standing. “It is a political gimmick, just for the sake of showing one-upmanship, that Pakatan Rakyat can do better than the Barisan Nasional. “However, the people must understand that they (the opposition) can talk about doing all kinds of things. But, it has been proven, like in the case of Selangor, that many of their promises have yet to be implemented. “If they want to implement affordable housing, they should have built many houses in Selangor or in Penang. However, that does not seem to be the case,” he said.
