KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — The government has assured that genuinely eligible B40 households will not be affected by the ongoing People’s Housing Programme (PPR) whitening exercise carried out by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the Madani government inherited a big challenge in ensuring that PPR facilities truly reach those who are in need.
She said that with rental rates as low as RM124 per month, PPR homes are among the government’s major subsidies to help B40 families live more comfortably in the capital city, and the whitening process aims to ensure fairness in the allocation process.
“I felt compelled to respond to the issue of PPR eviction notices that have caused public concern in recent days. For those affected and wishing to appeal, they can do so within 30 days.
“For tenants facing rental arrears, DBKL is ready to negotiate instalment rates and schedules. Tenants only need to pledge to comply with the agreed schedule so that they can continue to stay in the PPR homes under the agreed-upon terms,” she said in a Facebook post today.
Zaliha said DBKL has set clear eligibility conditions for tenants, including being a married Malaysian citizen couple, having a household income not exceeding RM3,000 for low-cost and RM4,000 for medium-cost units. Tenants must also not own any property or land within 35 kilometres of the city centre, hold the status of widow, widower, single parent, living or working in Kuala Lumpur, and be registered with DBKL.
“The whitening process conducted by DBKL is to enforce these conditions.
“Tenants were notified six months before the end of their lease, which is a standard review procedure carried out each time a rental contract expires,” she explained.
She said out of the 3,379 tenants reviewed, 3,031 tenants or 89.7 per cent remain eligible and can continue renting, while 348 tenants or 10.3 per cent failed to have their leases renewed due to violations such as high rental arrears, household income exceeding eligibility limits, owning property within 35 km of Kuala Lumpur, non-citizen status of spouses, and not residing in the PPR unit.
“For the record, current arrears for PPR and DBKL public housing have reached up to RM70 million. This long-standing issue must be boldly addressed to ensure public housing initiatives are fair and truly assist those in need.
“Vacant units resulting from the whitening exercise will be reassigned to applicants with the greatest need,” she said. — Bernama
