Housing subsidy for second generation FELDA being considered - Najib

A subsidy, either from the government or Felda, is being considered to help the new generation of Felda settlers own homes of their own.

This was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in his speech at the opening of the National Felda Settlers Gathering 2014 here today, based on what he said was an awareness of the difficulty of second generation settlers to own homes.

He said a meeting should be held to find solutions to improve the success of the second generation housing project.

Among the aspects which should be given attention was fair prices which were affordable to the second generation, he said.

"Felda has to make sure that the price of houses for the second generation is affordable and see if there need to be a subsidy, either from the government or from Felda," he said.

To help the second generation of Felda settlers own homes, the Prime Minister said Felda should consider the rent-to-own scheme.

"If they cannot afford, we give them the chance to rent first, and after five years, they can buy," he said, adding that most of the settlers do not have pay slips and face difficulty getting bank loans.

Yesterday, Felda Chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad did not discount the possibility that Felda would introduce a rent-to-own scheme for second generation Felda settlers under the Felda New Generation Housing Project.

Last year, Felda allocated RM1.4 billion to build 20,000 units of affordable houses throughout the country within five years, to give the second generation a chance to own homes.

Najib said home-ownership by the Felda second generation was among the challenges and responsibilities of Felda to protect the interest of the new generation, while taking into account the high cost of building houses.