Time to consolidate all housing entities, Zahid tells government
It is high time for the government to consolidate all housing entities in the country under one roof in an effort to provide affordable housing to the people. Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said having various entities only made it difficult for applicants especially due to bureaucracy. “I hope under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), the government will consolidate all housing entities whether under the federal government or state government. “Malaysia is relatively small (country), there is no reason to compete, not to mention the funds are from the same source. There has to be one scheme because what is important is that the people should own a house,” he said. Elaborating, he said the aspect of comfortable housing for military and police officers should also be given attention under the 12MP, especially for those who serve in rural areas. He also suggested the use of a single card to access all types of public transport available in the country. (Malay Mail)
Putrajaya MRT on track to open next month
Phase One of the Putrajaya MRT line, which is scheduled to start operations next month, is in line with the government’s aim to help the Malaysian Family, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong. He said the completion of the section, which stretches 17.5km from the Kwasa Damansara MRT Station to the Kampung Batu MRT Station, will allow many workers to get back to their daily routines. With the launch of the Phase One Putrajaya MRT Line, which is at 99.99% construction progress, the entire Klang Valley rail network will get nine new stations, linking commuters to new places like Kepong, Jinjang and Kampung Batu. Dr Wee said for the opening of Phase One, there will be a total of 12 stations, including three migrated from the Kajang MRT line. The remainder of the Putrajaya MRT line is scheduled to be operational under Phase Two in January 2023 with the construction progress currently at 93.5%. The Putrajaya line is the second line of the Klang Valley MRT project, the first being the MRT Kajang line which opened in July 2017. (The Star)
Budget 2022: LBS calls to permanently implement HOC
LBS Bina Group Bhd suggested the government to continue the Home Ownership Campaign (HOC) permanently to stimulate the housing economy. In its Budget 2022 wishlist, the developer reckoned that HOC has a positive impact in driving property sales and it could continuously spur market interest if it could be implemented in the longer term. “As the country returns to pre-pandemic normality… This will ensure the entire supply chain of the construction and property development industry will continue to carry on without disruption while buying sentiment remains,” LBS said. Meanwhile, the developer also urged for relaxation of requirements for Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme in order for it to continue to create a positive effect in Malaysia’s economy. Besides, LBS also hoped for the government to lower down the cost of construction by reduction in compliance cost, giving incentives to counter the rising building materials cost and adoption of Industrialised Building System (IBS), as well as waiver of levy on foreign labours in the construction sector. (The Edge)
Dewan Rakyat to wind up debate of 12th Malaysia Plan today
The winding up of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) in the Dewan Rakyat by the ministries will begin today after the five-year plan, for the period 2021 to 2025, as debated for four days. A total of 106 Members of Parliament from the government and opposition blocs took part in the debate on the12MP after its tabling by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Sept 27. Among the issues raised by the MPs during the four-day debate which began last Sept 28 were health, Covid-19 vaccine, development of Sabah and Sarawak, poverty, post-Covid-19 impact and the country’s water supply management. Based on the Parliament calendar of the First Meeting of the Fourth Session of the 14th Parliament, the winding-up of the 12MP is scheduled to be held until Thursday. The current Dewan Rakyat sitting will be for 17 days until Oct 12. (Malay Mail)
KL Eco City is now a Multimedia Super Corridor Cybercentre
Mercu 2, a corporate office tower within KL Eco City (KLEC), has been awarded Designated Premises for MSC Cybercentre status by Malaysia Digital Economy Corp (MDEC), thus making the entire KLEC a Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Cybercentre. The MSC Cybercentre status is awarded to cities, townships, or large building complexes for providing dedicated and specialised industry areas for MSC status companies or Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-facilitated businesses to locate their operations. The MSC Malaysia Bill of Guarantees will entitle qualified entities a set of incentives, rights and privileges, including financial incentives, allowance in employing foreign knowledge workers in ICT/IT-related fields, freedom of ownership, freedom to source capital globally, ability to tender Malaysia ICT or IT infrastructure contracts and access to the MDEC’s One-Stop-Centre for ICT or IT-related solutions, among others. As one of the few transit-oriented integrated & mixed-used development in the country, the MSC status is expected to make KLEC a highly sought-after address. (The Sun Daily)
Fumio Kishida officially becomes Japan’s prime minister
Japan’s parliament voted Fumio Kishida the country’s next prime minister, with the new leader expected to announce a cabinet including both holdovers and fresh faces. The soft-spoken scion of a Hiroshima political family, Kishida beat popular vaccine chief Taro Kono to win leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. His election came after former prime minister Yoshihide Suga, who submitted his resignation this morning, announced he would not stand for the LDP leadership after just one year in office. (Malay Mail)
