MALAYSIAN AFFORDABILITY HOUSING POLICIES REVISITED: Fid-Bau Portal

MALAYSIAN AFFORDABILITY HOUSING POLICIES REVISITED

Diwa Samad

The provision of affordable housing is a major policy concern around the world with Malaysia being no exception; rising income hardly keep pace with price hike of housing unit and housing interventions has majorly concentrated on demand side leading to a non- responsive supply sector. [...]this paper highlights affordable housing issues pertaining Malaysia. Introduction Housing is decisively rooted in the economic social, and political sphere of any country that it impossible to be explored in isolation from the broader scope of governance and policy. Besides being a remarkably valuable asset, it carries multidimensional significance; It plays an eminent role in accelerating economic growth and it carries social prominence as a spatial locus of personal and familial life (Abd Aziz, Hanif, & Singaravello, 2011; Keivani & Werna, 2001) Despite its multidimensional implications, access to affordable and adequate housing has been an everlasting challenge globally (Beer et.al., 2007). Furthermore, increase in foreigners (expatriate, students and tourists), migration, changing pattern of economic status of the population, change in expectation, and dilapidation of the existing stock has resulted in severe shortage of affordable housing. Since the Third Malaysia Plan, low cost housing projects has not met its target (Bajunid & Ghazali, 2012; Ramli, Akasah, & Masirin, 2014; Shuid, 2009). According to the Department of Statistics Housing Income Survey (2014) Malaysian median income stood at RM 4,500 signalling households are unable to afford houses priced higher than RM300, 000 (DOS, 2014). While based on the National Property Information Centre report (2014) only 31.7% of the...