(From fourth, left) Maimunah, Rajendran, Nga and Norliza (third, right) in front of a hot air balloon during the launch of the sixth session of Malaysia Urban Forum (MUF) at the Esplanade. (Below) Visitors at the event in Penang. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
Rebranding affordable housing, food kiosks for B40, innovative landfill solutions in urbanisation mission, says minister
THE Housing and Local Government Ministry has introduced several initiatives to promote sustainable urbanisation.
Its minister Nga Kor Ming said this was in line with the government’s aim to have more urban areas in the country which could be developed sustainably.
“To achieve this, the People’s Housing Programme (PPR) is being rebranded as People’s Residency Programme (PRR) to empower low-income groups to achieve home ownership,” Nga said at the opening of the sixth session of Malaysia Urban Forum (MUF) at the Esplanade, George Town, Penang.
He said the rebranding effort aimed to dispel the stigma associated with PPR as being dirty and poorly maintained.
PRR would be benchmarked against the best in the world, including those developed by Singapore’s Housing and Development Board (HDB).
Malaysia also has the PR1MA Housing Programme designed specifically for middle-income citizens, which provides affordable housing with world-class facilities, he said.
“Secondly, we are providing MyKiosk stalls, building well- organised, safe, comfortable business spaces for B40 groups equipped with solar power.
“As the saying goes, ‘Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime’.
“This initiative enables individuals in the B40 group to start their businesses with the first six months of rent waived, followed by a monthly rental as low as RM150 to help them improve their livelihoods.
“We have received feedback that some business owners managed to earn more than RM30,000 in revenue per month selling snacks.”
Nga also said that every day, Malaysians generate over 39,000 tonnes of solid waste, equivalent to about 1.2kg per person.
“To combat this, the ministry has launched the Circular Economy Blueprint in Solid Waste Management, which encompasses five pillars, 20 initiatives and 61 action plans.”
He said one of the efforts was to reduce single-use plastics.
“We have initiated the ‘No Single-Use Plastic Bag’ campaign in collaboration with 17 retailers and three retail associations, including 7-Eleven and 99 Speedmart, covering nearly 8,000 outlets nationwide, to encourage consumers to reduce their reliance on single-use plastics,” he added.
He said the ministry was also exploring innovative solutions to address landfill challenges.
Nga cited Bandar Tenggara, Johor, which had a 7.56ha landfill that accumulated over 360,000 tonnes of waste, leading to numerous odour and air pollution complaints from surrounding neighbourhoods.
He said the ministry subsequently shut it down and allocated RM23mil to transform the site into a recreational park.
“Today, this area has been redeveloped into a safe, clean park, featuring jogging tracks and open spaces where families can enjoy leisure activities together.”
Nga said Malaysia would continue to push for the implementation of smart cities, including smart traffic management systems that use real-time data to reduce congestion and improve transport efficiency.
He noted a memorandum of understanding was signed with China to collaborate on smart housing and urban redevelopment, addressing global climate change.
MUF 2024 was a collaborative effort between the ministry through its agency Urbanice Malaysia and Penang Island City Council (MBPP).
PR1MA Malaysia Corporation was the major strategic partner.
The forum, themed “My City, My Home”, discussed urban issues and sustainable urban planning.
It aimed to promote community-centred, sustainable, resilient and inclusive urbanisation.
The four-day event was attended by some 8,000 local and international participants.
It featured various dialogue sessions and discussions as well as the presentation of 100 papers by panellists from different sectors.
Present were Penang island mayor Datuk A. Rajendran, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif and Urbanice Malaysia chief executive officer Norliza Hashim.
