o_19c5m4dif5d2b4m116t1tkbp0na.pdf

LET’S TALK | Perbadanan PR1MA Malaysia
A PR1MA-RY SOLUTION
PR1MA homes represent one of the most concerted efforts by the Malaysian
government to address the affordable housing situation in the country. - BY ONG XIN YING
While it is an undeniable fact that the affordable housing
issue is a problem with no easy solution in sight, to say that
nothing worthwhile is being done to solve it is untrue. Aside
from developers who have been launching affordable housing
projects in order to meet this growing need, the Malaysian
government has also been putting a significant amount of
effort into making it easier for first-time homebuyers to
acquire an abode as well as making more affordable homes
available.
One such effort is of course Perbadanan PR1MA Malaysia
which was established under the Perumahan Rakyat
1Malaysia Act (PR1MA) 2012 to plan, develop, construct
and maintain high-quality housing with lifestyle concepts
for middle-income households in key urban centres. The
corporation’s CEO Dato’ Abdul Mutalib Alias spared some
time to inform iProperty.com about the PR1MA programme
and spoke about the affordable housing situation in general.
Is the affordable housing sector in Malaysia in as dire a
condition as some say it is
Yes, to an extent. There is a significantly inadequate supply of
affordable housing for the middle-income group which needs
to be addressed. Before PR1MA was established, all affordable
housing programmes were for those with a household income
of below RM2,500 a month. There were no programmes
for the middle-income group even though they are just as
affected as the low-income group by the rising prices in the
property market and the high costs of living in urban areas.
Thus established to address this need, this corporation is the
sole authority which has been empowered to plan, develop,
construct and maintain affordable homes and townships
built under the PR1MA programme. Our objective is to play
a primary and catalytic role in the planning and growth of
affordable homes for the country’s middle-income group.
Please tell us more about your efforts to address the lack of
affordable housing in the country.
Our affordable housing programme is for those in the middleincome
group with a household income bracket of between
RM2,500 and RM10,000 a month. This income band has just
been expanded from a previous ceiling of RM7,500 in line
with data from the National Household Income (HHI) survey
which showed that the average HHI has been rising the past
few years with a significant increase in urban areas such as
Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Selangor.
Dato’ Abdul Mutalib Alias, CEO of Perbadanan PR1MA Malaysia
“
Our affordable housing
programme is for those in the
middle-income group with a
household income bracket
of between RM2,500 and
RM10,000 a month.
”
PR1MA homes are at least 20% below average market price
with a price range of RM100,000 to RM400,000 depending
58 |