Press statement by MCA Penang State Liaison Committee Secretary Dr Tan Chuan Fong

Forget about populism, be pragmatic in solving lower-income housing woes

We want the Penang state government to fulfil its election promise to build low-cost houses for the middle to lower income groups, or at the very least, to not obstruct the Federal Government's measures to help the people to have roofs over their heads.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in his 8th consecutive deficit budget had mentioned that, "in order to alleviate the burden of the lower income group, the government especially abolishes assessment fees for the medium to low cost houses amounting to RM11,494,135.12.

We applaud the effort to help the middle to lower income groups, but the state government should be more serious in keeping its election promise to build low-cost houses for these groups and solve their housing problems.

Ever since Lim came into power, many pieces of land left over by the Barisan Nasional government had been sold off by him for high-end development projects that directly affect and victimise the middle to lower income groups despite his promise to build low-cost homes before the general election. Eight years have passed by now, we have seen neither Lim's action nor a single house.

As a responsible government which puts the rakyat first, it should instead set aside political differences and actively compliment the Federal Government to implement projects beneficial to the public at large.

Even if the state government is not willing to build the low-cost houses itself, it should at least compliment the Federal Government's projects, including PR1MA and the first-house deposit fund, to realise people's dream of owning their very own dwelling place and not keep on with its populist measures that will never solve the real problem.

Lim had always claimed to be good in financial planning. Nevertheless, the consecutive 8 years of deficit budget had made people wonder, whether the populist measure this time around was an attempt to cover up such 'outstanding' achievement.

Dr Tan Chuan Fong
MCA Penang State Liaison Committee Secretary

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