SHAH ALAM, 9 Oct: The intentions of the Selangor Chief Minister, Mohamed Azmin Ali, to prioritise the housing issue in the Budget 2015 was well received as the state property prices are increasing, which makes it difficult for the middle to low income group.
The former Director of Bank Negara Malaysia, Dr Rosli Yaakob, said that the move will be able to help the people of the state face the pressure of the cost of living which has been increasing over the past few years.
“The cost shouldered the people is increasing, not only because of the higher prices of necessities, but homes, which are a basic necessity, has also increased compared to the income of the majority of the people who earn below RM5,000 a month.
“The Selangor Budget should care about this matter and the Chief Minister’s move to focus on this issue is a wise move and is very well received,” said Dr Rosli.
He explained that the state government should focus its efforts to develop affordable homes priced below RM150,000 to meet the needs of the people.
“This is not easy because the value of land is increasing, the price of construction material and labour costs are also high. So, for this reason, the state government only depend on private developers,” he added.
In addition to housing issues, Dr Rosli also suggested for Mohamed Azmin to focus on overcoming water shortage during long droughts and improve public infrastructure in rural areas.
“The state government needs to think of ideas on how to avoid water shortage in the future more effectively in the event of a long drought, like what happened previously, and meanwhile, village roads should be widened so that it is not too narrow for two cars to pass,” he added.
NS
