B40 Communities of Cameron Highlands Urge Government to Build Affordable Housing

By Charmaine Shaharin  •  06 Oct 2020 in News

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Everyone enjoys Cameron Highlands whether it’s for a weekend getaway or as a retirement home. However, just like any property on top of a hill, the cost of living and affording a house is not cheap, making it a real problem for the communities who are under the B40 category who have always called Cameron Highlands their home.

To overcome this, a recent petition on change.org titled ‘A call to the government to build PPR houses for B40 communities at Cameron Highlands’ was started by Sarah Irdina and has been circulating around social media.

The petition stated that the last housing project built for the B40 in Cameron highlands was over 40 years ago, and other low-cost housing projects such as PR1MA which is said to be sold for RM200,000 per unit is still considered expensive for these vulnerable communities.

It was also mentioned that another factor that hinders the B40 from purchasing affordable property is the prevalence of outsiders who purchase houses to use as home-stays for tourists, thus driving the prices up.

Puan Sharifah Hanim a resident from Cameron Highlands said,

“I have been living here for decades, and I’m still paying rent because I can’t afford a house. How long is this matter going to go on as I feel I still wouldn’t be able to buy a house until the day I die.”

According to her, rent is also not cheap as it is between RM800-900 a month.

The petition is addressed to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office for Economic Affairs, YB Dato’ Sri Mustapha Bin Mohamed, and Minister of Housing And Local Government, YB Puan Hajah Zuraida Binti Kamaruddin in hopes that a PPR Project in Cameron Highlands can be approved in the 2021 budget which will be tabled in November.

According to Sinar Harian, some B40 residents have also held a small rally with banners to catch the attention of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail and the State Local Government And Housing Exco, Abdul Rahim Muda.

“We are here today, not to argue but to simply demand that our voices be heard for affordable housing in Cameron Highlands as this has been an ongoing issue since 2017 during the previous Chief Minister and the Land and District Office, but no action was taken,” said A. Sivarajan, a B40 resident.

Sign the petition here to show support.