Rebranded: Ahmad Zahid speaking at the media conference on housing programmes for the hardcore poor at Desaru Convention Centre in Kota Tinggi, johor. — Bernama
PETALING JAYA: An alcoholic beverage company’s sponsorship of a Chinese school in Sepang was for a charity concert and not a direct donation to the school, said Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister explained that the event was organised by the school’s parent-teacher association and the school board.
“There was no mention of contributions from alcohol companies to schools (Chinese schools),” he said yesterday.
Separately, Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, said the hardcore poor housing programme has been rebranded to Program Perumahan Rakyat Sejahtera (PPRS) in a move to change the community’s perception and mindset.
He said the exercise includes increasing the size of PPRS units to 680sq ft based on national housing standards and policies and introducing a rent-to-own concept, Bernama reported.
“I hope other ministries involved in providing housing for the people will follow suit, especially the Housing and Local Government Ministry, as well as state governments, state housing departments and local authorities,” he told reporters after summarising the ministry’s retreat at a hotel near Kota Tinggi yesterday.
“We must adopt this concept not only to follow national housing policies but also change the mindset and preferences of stakeholders, especially buyers and residents of low-cost housing,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said this year, the ministry allocated RM460.4mil to construct 3,000 new PPRS units and refurbish 12,600 existing units.
“Over 10,000 units were built under the 12th Malaysia Plan.
“We will build more during the 13th Malaysia Plan because we can reduce costs, especially for land and infrastructure, by sharing these expenses with state governments, local authorities and government-linked companies,” he said.
