Over 20,000 units of 'Residensi Prihatin' to be set aside for MAF personnel - Annuar

KOTA BHARU: The Federal Territories Ministry is targeting more than 20,000 units out of the 40,000 "Residensi Prihatin" units that will be built to be specifically set aside for members of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF).

Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the houses, between 750 sq feet and over 1,000 sq feet in size, would be priced at a maximum of RM200,000 and each unit will come complete with three rooms and two bathrooms.

He said the residence would be built near army camps to facilitate army personnel commuting from home to work, including in Setapak and Sungai Besi.

"The Defence Ministry has already recommended (the construction of houses) for Cabinet ministers and Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the project has received preliminary approval and the plots of land have also been identified.

"We expect the housing construction project to be completed between three and five years," he said.

He said this at a media conference after officiating the 28th annual general meeting of the MAF Veterans Ketereh branch at at Dewan Tun Ghafar Baba, Yayasan Kemiskinan Kelantan (YKK), Padang Kala, Melor, near here, today.

Also present was Kelantan Ex-Servicemen Association (PBTM) chairman Datuk Muhammad Abdul Ghani.

Annuar, who is also Ketereh MP, said the "Residensi Prihatin" scheme for the eradication of poverty and improvement of standard of living among people of the Federal Territories was aimed at helping MAF personnel and officers own homes with monthly repayments as low as RM1,000.

According to him, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) had also taken similar steps by further increasing the construction of houses priced at RM200,000.

"This programme is in line with the ministry's policy of providing houses below RM200,000 to targeted groups so that buyers can afford the monthly repayment of less than RM1,000," he said.

-- BERNAMA