SERI KEMBANGAN, April 13 — Selangor Government officers will be
going undercover soon to identify developers who refuse to sell the
allocated 30 per cent quota of buildings and houses to Bumiputeras.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo said today that he knew of
cases where developers, when approached by Bumiputera buyers, gave the
excuse that the allocated units had been sold.
"Some developers refuse to sell these units because they do not
want to give the seven per cent discount which they have to offer
Bumiputera buyers.
"We will take action against these developers. We will ask them
to wait five or six years, if that is how long it takes for them to
sell the Bumiputera lots." Dr Mohd Khir said the undercover
officers would pretend to be potential buyers, reporting responses
from developers to the State Government.
All developers are required to allocate at least 30 per cent of their
buildings and houses to Bumiputera buyers.
He said the quota would be removed only if the developer could provide
proof that it could not sell the allocated lots to Bumiputeras.
Dr Mohd Khir said the 30 per cent quota for Bumiputeras had to be
emphasised as the Government was striving to strike a balance in the
racial composition in housing estates.
He added that the State Government, together with several
universities, would be carrying out a study to determine housing
requirements in the State.
"Initially the authorities thought there was a shortage of
low-cost houses but now, there are so many low-cost houses in Selangor
which are not sold.
"After the study, we will be in a better position to build houses
according to demand." The study would be initiated in the next
one to two months.
Dr Mohd Khir said that people could afford to buy houses now unlike
before but coming up with the downpayment was a problem.
"To help them purchase houses, the Selangor Goverment has
introduced two schemes. One involves the lower income group paying a
RM1 downpayment for low-cost houses. The other involves a RM3,000
initial payment for executives." Dr Mohd Khir was speaking after
a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a bazaar rakyat, a
State Government project, and a public transportion terminal here
today.
He later witnessed the handing over of a community hall by the Equine
Group to Putra Permai residents. He also officially opened the Dr
George Lim Ah Soo Recreational Park.
Also present were Serdang MP Datuk Yap Pian Hon, State Assemblyman for
Subang Jaya Datuk Lee Hwa Beng, State Assemblyman for Puchong Datuk
Satim Diman, State Assemblyman for Seri Kembangan Datuk Liew Yuen
Keong, Subang Jaya Municipal Council president Ahmad Fuad Ismail and
Taman Equine executive chairman Datuk Patrick Lim Soo Kit.
Lim said the community hall was aimed at providing a place to gather
for Putra Permai residents.
He said the group was committed to a holistic approach to development
and intended to make a habit of giving back something to residents in
all townships it developed.
