Accelerate Construction of Affordable Rental Housing for Civil Servants in Urban Areas

DENGKIL – The government will accelerate the development of special housing projects for civil servants in major urban areas following the rising rental rates that are increasingly burdening this group.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the issue of high rental costs has now become one of the main problems faced by civil servants, especially in major cities such as Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Seremban and Ipoh.

He said although the government has implemented a salary adjustment for civil servants of between 15 and 30 per cent, the increase in some situations is still insufficient to cover the rising cost of house rentals.

“On my recent trips to Penang, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Johor and Kuala Lumpur, the problem faced by civil servants is serious, which is the rising rental rates.

“Even though we increased their salaries by between 15 and 30 per cent, sometimes in Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Seremban and Ipoh, it is still not enough to cover the increased rental rates,” he said.

He said this when met after performing Friday prayers at the Jameatus Solehah Pekan Dengkil Mosque, here today.

He said the government has identified government-owned land with potential for development for civil servant housing purposes, including land belonging to agencies such as the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Royal Malaysian Customs Department.

Anwar said any area with suitable space will be developed with housing projects offering lower rental rates to reduce the cost of living burden on civil servants.

“In Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur, government-owned land, whether for customs or police, as soon as there is space available, we will develop housing for civil servants.

“With affordable rent so that they can rent at a cheap rate, thus not burdening their families,” he said.

According to him, the implementation of these projects will be expedited as part of the government’s efforts to improve the welfare of civil servants, who are the backbone of the country’s administration.

“These are the steps we are taking and we will expedite them,” he said.

Kosmo Online