The controversy of 50% bumiputra housing quota in Kedah is being resolved.
I raised this issue at the Pakatan Rakyat Leadership Council in Parliament on Tuesday and I am given to understand that there is no change from the previous position on bumiputra housing quota in the state.
Hopefully, this matter can be clarified and set to rest without further prolongation of the controversy.
If necessary, I am prepared to make a visit to meet the Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak in Alor Setar over the matter.
#1 by All For The Road on Friday, 14 November 2008 - 1:54 pm
Even at the usual and official 30% housing quota, the housing units meant for Bumiputeras are not fully taken up and in many cases, cannot even sell! What more 50%? The developers will die standing!
#2 by k1980 on Friday, 14 November 2008 - 2:32 pm
To clarify this matter once and for all, the Kedah Housing Developers’ Association needs to make public via the mass media the percentage of houses allocated for bumis but still left unsold in their housing projects. Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak will then be required to explain why he needs a 50% bumiputra housing quota there
#3 by cintanegara on Friday, 14 November 2008 - 3:03 pm
DAP leaders cannot regard themselves as representing the entire Malaysian if they can’t accept the fact, other is enjoying a little privilege more than their own community. They will be more respectable if they change their party’s vision and mission by specifying the community they’re representing.
#4 by Mr Smith on Friday, 14 November 2008 - 3:19 pm
But then Isn’t this policy unIslamic? Pas has always been saying that raced based policies are against the teaching if Islam.
#5 by Loh on Friday, 14 November 2008 - 3:19 pm
PAS has learned from UMNO that when it steps on others feet, it needs only to remove its own and the victims will be grateful as the pain eases. But the hurt stays in memory.
The people were quite happy that PAS can at last work with other opposition parties. But the policy PAS has implemented in reserving 50% of the housing units for bumiputras gives UMNO an excuse to justify its race-based policies which by comparison might be less extreme.
It is illogical to reserve housing units for bumiputras buyers when there is ample land for housing projects as long as there are buyers. The original thought of reserving certain percentage of housing for Malays was to encourage Malays to live among the Chinese and Indians. That encouragement of having different communities living together should have been applied too in housing estates by reserving a proportion of housing units for Chinese and Indians. But the reservation is only for the Malays. Thus, the objective of reserving a proportion of housing units for Malays does not work towards mixed community living.
The fact that housing units reserved for Malays were not readily taken up by them should have stopped the practice because Malays were not interested in the first place, and needed no protection through any quota system. But like all government policies, civil servants found ways to convert all issues into racial contest, and instead of removing the quota, they imposed an unfair discount for Malay buyers. Consequently, other non-Malays buyers had to pay more for the discount to be transferred to Malay buyers. After a while, the rationale for the discount is explained as NEP and ketuanan Melayu.
Try to hammer a nail on a piece of wood. The nail can be pulled out. The hole remains as eternal reminder. PAS Kelantan government was commendable. How is it that Kedah PAS should go astray on such a sensitive issue? The policy was unnecessary because if the Malays in Kedah wanted to own the majority of the houses in any new housing estates, they are free to do so, without competition from non-Malays. When there is no competition, why should the government impose any quota at all? It’s worse when the quota was higher than that imposed by UMNO. The discount should have been disbanded and without which, housing developer will have to sell them at the market value where Malays would be willing to buy.
PAS has waited for a long time to gain non-Malay votes. The increase to 50% quota will be the persuasive argument for non-Malays to vote against PAS. How sad!
#6 by madmix on Friday, 14 November 2008 - 4:44 pm
Why would Malays in small towns want to live in terrace houses? unless they have no choice like in larger cities like KL? They have Malay reserve land and can live in houses with large compounds and gardens with fruit trees. Perhaps a river flowing behind. Paradise to me. What is PAS trying to do, be more UMNO than UMNO?
#7 by alias601213 on Friday, 14 November 2008 - 5:05 pm
1. Pembentukan bangsa Malaysia harus bermula dari kanak-kanak, oleh itu langkah-langkah berikut perlu dilaksanakan:
Anak-anak mesti bersekolah di sekolah yang sama seperti yang dilaksanakan di Singapore.
Sekolah jenis kebangsaan mesti dihapuskan dan digantikan dengan sekolah yang boleh menempatkan anak-anak dari semua kaum yang merupakan sekolah yang boleh memenuhi keperluan dan tuntutan semua kaum.
2. Dasar ekonomi harus diubah, program bantuan dan pembelaan harus diberikan bukan berasaskan kaum tetapi berasaskan keperluan rakyat secara umum.
3. Tidak ada lagi istilah bumiputra dengan bukan bumiputera. Yang boleh diberi perhatian ialah antara penduduk luar Bandar dengan Bandar, dan penduduk berpendapatan rendah dengan penduduk pendapatan tinggi.
Tidak ada lagi apa yang dipanggil ‘Ketuanan Melayu’, kita bukan dilahirkan untuk menjadi tuan dan tidak juga menjadi hamba.
Sikap buruk dan tabiat negatif atau kelemahan dan kekurangan seseorang itu tidak boleh dikaitkan dengan kaum dan agamanya.
Setiap rakyat yang berjaya harus ada sikap ingin membantu dan perihatin kepada rakyat yang lemah dan tidak bernasib baik tanpa mengira kaum dan agama.
4. Semua kenaikan pangkat atau peluang mestilah diberikan berasaskan meritokrasi dan kebolehan seseorang.
5. Demokrasi yang sebenar mestilah menjadi amalan bangsa Malaysia, yang perlu mempunyai ciri-ciri berikut:
Kebebasan media, bukan dikawal oleh parti yang memerintah.
Kebebasan berhimpun dan berucap secara aman, tanpa perlu permit polis, cukup sekadar memaklumkan kepada polis.
Polis yang bebas dan berintegriti.
Badan perundangan dan kehakiman yang bebas, adanya pemisahan kuasa yang jelas antara badan perundangan dan badan eksekutif.
BPR yang bebas dan berkredibiliti.
Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya mestilah bebas, adil dan telus.
6. Semua masalah hubungan kaum dan agama hendaklah diselesaikan secara permuafakatan dan bukan secara emosi. Menghormati nilai-nilai dari kaum dan agama yang berbeza.
7. Menghapuskan parti politik yang berasaskan kaum, semua parti politik hendaklah dibuka keahliaannya untuk semua kaum.
8. Menghapuskan diskriminasi dan peminggiran kaum dalam mana-mana organisasi, samada dalam jabatan kerajaan mahupun dalam sektor swasta.
9. Menggunakan satu bahasa yang boleh menghubungkan antara kaum-kaum yang ada, di samping membenarkan bahasa-bahasa lain juga digunakan.
10. Tidak memaksa nilai-nilai dari satu agama dan dari satu kaum diterapkan kepada semua, tetapi haruslah diterapkan secara neutral dan sukarela. Sebagai contoh mudah, roti canai adalah makanan yang telah diperkenalkan oleh masyarakat India. Orang Melayu dan orang Cina tidak pernah dipaksa memakannya. Kini tidak boleh dinafikan lagi tanpa kita sedari roti canai telah menjadi salah satu identiti makanan orang Malaysia.
#8 by taiking on Friday, 14 November 2008 - 6:06 pm
Take the event positively.
Turn it into a publicity to promote pakatan’s ideals.
Here we have dissenting views.
Yes its good.
See Pakatan is not authoritarian like umno.
Member parties have some measure of freedom to decide and act.
And where a decision is not favourable or bad, member party who made that decision is ever prepared to remedy.
Not like umno whose attitude has always been we will STUFF-IT-DOWN-YOUR-THROAT-LIKE-IT-OR-NOT attitude.
#9 by swipenter on Friday, 14 November 2008 - 6:07 pm
This 50% bumi quota doesnt make any commercial and political sense.If PAS really want to have a good mix of all races living in a housing estate try opening up Malay reserve land so that non bumi can lease the land say for 60 years and build their houses there.
#10 by waterfrontcoolie on Friday, 14 November 2008 - 6:26 pm
Let’s not split hair, do we know the population of that locality? In any locality, the percentage of the community should be some guidance. Some of the issues raised do not benefit the society because after a proper review all the hollow shouting comes to naught!
#11 by Jimm on Friday, 14 November 2008 - 9:12 pm
Honestly, we only have 27 million Malaysian …
Given the right note that this country are actually very rich with natural resources and also strategically located in ASEAN, we should have given each families a basic house and foundamental education system that carries our yuong generations to the next level of the world growth in social and business economies.
that’s the truth !!!
however , having to be ruled by umno all these years , we are actually being ‘victimised’ by them and them in the other hand exploited their own kind and put all these blames on other races.
no matter what quota we may be giving to the malays ever since , as long as umno are taking advantage of the ruling , most of the malays will still live in poverty and less educated as that are what umno wished for in order to gain control of the government.
we may be arguing till the cows come home here …
on the other hand , we should be thankful to our God for all the blessing that we were given through all these years to enable to weathered through umno zionist treatments and still standing tall.
we are truly blessed and therefore lets be thankful first.
pray for the malays too as they really need to make a strong stand about their own kind and destiny rather than being ‘horsed’ around by umno.
#12 by limkamput on Friday, 14 November 2008 - 9:29 pm
The point of contention is not this issue is being resolved. The issue is why such a policy is allowed to fester in the first place. Are you going to play the role of MCA or Gerakan – forever seeking, appealing and looking up to them for solutions? And why must be you, and not PKR leadership or Secretary General of DAP? Where are they?
#13 by monsterball on Friday, 14 November 2008 - 9:45 pm
The making of an excellent elected parliamentarian is one…that cares.
Lim Kit Siang have developed that reputation.that will shame all UMNO ministers and latest two PMs…with one in waiting….no different from that two.
Performing to fool voters ….they are the best.
What LKS said here..proofs he is not one race politician. He is a true Malaysian parliamentarian.
That is why…he could last so long…coming back from failures and returning to the glorious past and future.
It shows Malaysians are somewhat grateful and do admire this man.’
UMNO will not admit it……LKS commands more Muslim supports and admirations that most of their so call ministers.
If he wanted an easy like like Lee Lam Thye….and become filthy rich…with false titles…he could have got them..long long before that hypocrite Lee.
#14 by katdog on Friday, 14 November 2008 - 10:24 pm
To limkamput,
The marriage of the parties in PR wasn’t perfect to begin with. So to expect perfection and no mistakes is impossible. But what we should look at is whether their leaders are responsible and correct things.
This issue isn’t the only problems to surface in the short period the PR has been in charge of the PR states.
Very early after taking over Kedah, the Kedah MB approved logging in water catchment areas that would have dire effects on water supply of Penang, an ally state!
And most recently there was that funny tennis fiasco in Penang. The whole idea was ill thought out and ended in failure. The state leaders have quickly washed their hands clean of the issue. Shouldn’t they take some responsibility and investigate what really happened? This incident is a complete embarrassment to the Penang government.
And in Perak, they are proposing to build a brand new (white elephant) airport. Even though the previous BN government had already wasted millions building a white elephant useless airport. It seems the leaders in Perak are also intent on building their own white elephant projects to rival BN.
#15 by lee wee tak_ on Saturday, 15 November 2008 - 12:02 am
haiya, if quota gives so much problem then
1) do away with the quota
2) bumi discount is still allowed but for houses below RM200,000 or whatever depending on location
3) developer cannot reject bumi purchasers to avod the abuse of 1) turning away purchasers who are entitled to discounts – siapa cepat siapa dapat …. or have an earlier launch for bumi purchasers like 1 week earlier….
what do you guys think? can work?
#16 by dawsheng on Saturday, 15 November 2008 - 12:26 am
If Bumi can afford to buy all these houses, I think the developers will be very happy if PAS raise the quota to 70%.
#17 by kerajaan.rakyat on Saturday, 15 November 2008 - 12:59 am
What ever the percentage, what’s important whether justice inplace.
http://asian-social-politic.blogspot.com/
.
#18 by Bigjoe on Saturday, 15 November 2008 - 9:34 am
My issue is why is the Kedah MB doing this? The policy makes no sense. If they can’t sell 30%, how to sell 50%? If there is a lack of housing which I doubt, its extreme poverty, not because of supply or even cost.
If the MB is doing it for popularity, its a poor one because well, again there is no housing shortage in Kedah.
The only reason to do this is crony politics meaning to feed the power brokers who can leverage off the allocation for quick profit. The problem is that is a slippery slop PKR don’t want to start with.
All of it points to one thing – this Kedah MB is not quite there in the brains department which is the real worriy for PKR and PR..
#19 by monsterball on Saturday, 15 November 2008 - 9:58 am
That is also why…Kedah voters hate Mahathir.
They know that man….is a racialist..but pick and choose who to help..and divide his race to say..”Everyone is not happy. This proves country is OK”
[deleted]
#20 by monsterball on Saturday, 15 November 2008 - 10:03 am
And he will continue….saying he lost the Kedah local council election…due to RM200 bribery given by Dollah. That’s why he lost.
He has been using the art…to keep repeating …repeating…until everyone believes in him….yet….he accuses others with no proof..of his obvious corrupted character..a dictator and and a racialist.
#21 by js on Saturday, 15 November 2008 - 11:14 am
What’s wrong with the 50% quota? It will also be opened to non-bumi later. Let me tell you about the housing development in Kedah. Some developer is brainless to build the house irregardless of the demand and supply. I bought a semi-d house in Sg Petani under phase 1 project. Most of the units has yet to sell out 50% and the developer started its phase 2 project for the same type of house and with the same price. To me it is the stupid strategy by the developer. Once the OC obtained for phase 1, the price of the house not even grow up, but the developer will come out with the rebate of RM16,000 trying to clear the phase 1 remaining unsold houses. Means that, those who bought the house earlier seem to pay more expensive than after the oc obtained.
This also means that, the phase 2 project will get less demand now and what will you expect the houses to be sold out 100%. What I want to stress here is that it is not a wise decision to invest in housing property in Kedah.
Not like Penang island, the price will definately grow up before the oc obtained and the developer is smarter enough to launched the phase 2 after the phase 1 is sold out at least 90%.
So it is not much different is the quota is 50%.
#22 by chengho on Saturday, 15 November 2008 - 12:39 pm
PAS and DAP should merge let foster the relationship one step further . For the office bearer let the members decide but if they want to compromise DAP can take the general secretary and PAS take the President post of DAP-PAS . DAP -PAS must think outside the box.
#23 by BoycottLocalPapers on Saturday, 15 November 2008 - 6:14 pm
I will never trust PAS. They are as racist as UMNO.
#24 by miguelotami on Saturday, 15 November 2008 - 8:00 pm
The problem, developer always build pricey house, and leave average people to buy it. Who have big salary rite now? I think its not Bumis. .The quota still need for Bumi’s in there. I think they need more than 50%. 70% maybe.
#25 by shamshul anuar on Saturday, 15 November 2008 - 9:42 pm
Dear BoycottlocalPapers,
I am not so sure of that. But I know DAP as being the most racist political party in Malaysia. It consistently put fear into Chinese community that the existence of vernacular school is not secured and under threat by what else if not UMNO.
The reality is that if UMNO had really wanted to close vernacular schools, it would have done that 50 years ago at times when it controlled approximately 70% of parliament seats. SEkolah Wawasan is another example of how racist DAP can be. It played Chinese sentiments to the hilt.
Maybe it is time to ask what is DAP’s role in unity when it rejected Wawasan School. Why so upset about Bumiputera Quota in housing area when you are so protective of Chinese school.
Menteri Besar of Kedah was just saying the truth. What is the point of housing development when it alters demographic of an area, reducing one race into becoming a minority in their own place.
#26 by Jimm on Sunday, 16 November 2008 - 8:03 am
when all evilmen gathered together to form the government and reap the national wealth from Malaysian …. we will forever goes into state of denial and blame others for our own shortcomings ..
#27 by Plaintruth on Sunday, 16 November 2008 - 12:03 pm
Simple Arithmetic…….
Let say I am the builder and built two houses. Each house cost me RM100,000. Under the racist UMNO government law I had to give “discount” to one race. So, let say I sell the house at RM80,000 to the first class citizen and I had to raise the second house price for the third class citizen to RM120,000 just to be even on my cost.
This is called robbing peter to pay paul or robbing AhChong/Mathuram to pay Ahmad.
Malaysia boleh……. oh, no….. it would be Malaysia bodoh
#28 by katdog on Sunday, 16 November 2008 - 12:12 pm
shamshul anuar Says:
“But I know DAP as being the most racist political party in Malaysia. It consistently put fear into Chinese community that the existence of vernacular school is not secured and under threat by what else if not UMNO”
Ha! ha! funny! It seems like you have conveniently forgotten your good friends MCA. MCA has also consistently used the issue of vernacular schools for its own political mileage. Worst, MCA has constantly used scare tactics warning the chinese, that they would loose their rights if MCA is not voted in to ‘check and balance’ UMNO. So tell me who is MOST racist?
#29 by katdog on Sunday, 16 November 2008 - 12:31 pm
It is silly to use racist measures to promote ‘racial harmony and integration’ by ensuring the racial distribution of so and so meets to ‘appropriate’ percentages.
30 years of NEP has already shown that such measures don’t work and even polarizes the society even more. In addition it breed inefficiencies that cannot be sustained by the private sector.
Raising income and education levels of the poor. Improving public infrastructures like libraries and public transport. These are the basics that any government is supposed to provide and these would do more than any ‘grand’ quota system.
#30 by waterfrontcoolie on Monday, 17 November 2008 - 12:43 pm
Shamsul, are you much different from the party you claimed to be racist?. How many of us purposely purchased a house to change the demorgraphy of a locality? only the most twisted mind, and you know where to find it.
ALLIANCE used to be voted into office without much of an issue. Wasn’t that coalition headed by the Malay majority then. Had the so-called NEP be implemented to help the poorest of the Malay population, I don’t think any sensible Malaysian would have had raised any issue with it. You keep on championing a cause that only suit your vested interests. I must admit that so long that the majority of the rural people [ meaning Malays ] cannot get access to ‘open knowledge & information’, the current condition will prevail and this is why people with your thinking is trying to maintain. Your love for your community has an ulterior motive, keep them ignorance and people like you will continue to ride on it!!
#31 by Loh on Monday, 17 November 2008 - 1:48 pm
The Mentri Besar of Kedah clarified yesterday that the 50% bumiputra quota for housing units applied only to projects built on land originally classified as Malay reserve.
Malay reserve land was classified by the British during the colonial days. If the state government considers the land better utilized for housing development, it has the right to do so without having to consult the British. It certainly did not have to justify to the British by attaching a new condition when they are declassifying to public use.
Quite obviously Malay reserve lands are owned by Malays and the developers are Malays too. When a land is classified for housing use, it can no longer become Malay reserve. The developers would certainly be happy to sell all the plots to Malays when there are buyers. It makes no sense to reserve a quota when they cannot find buyers. It might be probable that the motive of the quota scheme is not intended to ensure that Malays get to own houses when they so desire, but to impose a condition for other pecuniary interest. Or was it purely political play in competing with UMNO as Malay champion.