National Housing Policy to be reviewed

The National Housing Policy which will expire next year will be reviewed to consider allowing the government to control the price of houses in the country, said Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar.

This is necessary to enable the people, especially the middle and lower income group to own their own home, he told reporters after the opening of the Tanjong Karang UMNO divisional delegates meeting here Saturday.

It was opened by UMNO information chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa at the Farmers' Management Institute here.

Noh said under the current policy, the government could only control the price of low cost houses costing not more than RM42,000 and spanning 60.3 square metres.

"Looking at the present policy, the prices of houses, apart from the low cost houses, are determined by the free market," he said.

In another development, Noh, who is also Tanjong Karang UMNO chief, hit out at Pandan MP and PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli hit out for saying that the ministry's proposal to grant moneylending licences to housing developers to provide loans to homebuyers with problems getting loans from financial institutions as 'crazy'.

He said Rafizi should understand the matter first before making the statement. -- Bernama