KUCHING, Sept 21 — The Ministry of Defence has spent over RM5 million to build new housing units and carry out repair works of Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) veterans’ residential units.
Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said it had approved the construction of 44 new houses nationwide this year.
“Part of the funding is by the Department of Veterans Affairs (JHEV) and the other part is through Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB), where the cost of construction in the Peninsula is RM85,000 while in Sabah and Sarawak, it is RM95,000,” he said.
Adly was speaking to the press during the handover ceremony for houses under the JHEV Housing Initiative programme in Kampung Tanjung Bowang, Singai earlier today.
Sixty-five-year-old MAF veteran Zakaria Abdullah, a recipient under the programme, is grateful to finally have his own house, having lived in a rented unit since 2000.
“Previously, I stayed at my parents’ house, then I decided to rent a place.
“When I heard about this programme, I applied and checked with SPNB. This is the first time I have received housing assistance,” he said.
According to a Ministry of Defence statement, the MAF Veterans Housing Initiative Programme is open to veterans or widows whose household income is below the stipulated Poverty Line Income table.
Through the programme’s quota, MAF veterans will receive two stages of assistance, namely subsidy under the Rumah Mesra Rakyat (RMR) scheme regulated by SPNB amounting to RM20,000 and MAF JHEV housing aid worth RM65,000 for the Peninsula and RM75,000 for Sabah and Sarawak.
Meanwhile, the cost of house repair is RM17,000 per unit and so far this year, a total of 177 applications have been approved.
— Bernama
