Noradila (brown tudung) chatting with Ismail Sabri (centre) at the Rumah Bina Negara programme launch in Kampung Bintang, Temerloh in Pahang.
WHEN she got married two years ago, Noradila Mohd Zain, 24, wondered where she would stay with her husband on their own without depending too much on their parents.
Since there were already more than 10 people living under the same roof in her parents’ home in Kampung Bintang, Noradila did not want to trouble them.
However, due to her husband’s low earnings from rubber tapping, it would be difficult for the couple to purchase a house in Temerloh town, or in any other housing project as the prices would be more than RM200,000.
Even if she rented a house, it would be above RM300 per month, and they would not be able to sustain a decent living based on such prices
As a full-time housewife, Noradila said she understood her husband’s financial constraint, and was only dreaming to own a house by saving some money.
Fortunately, she came across information on the Rumah Bina Negara programme through the Internet, and later paid a visit to the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) office.
“The conditions set are reasonable and practical. Firstly, either one of us has to own a piece of land measuring about 65sq m.
“Secondly, if the land is not ours, the owner has to give permission for us to build a house on that plot of land. Other conditions include our ages being above 20 years old, and my husband has to be a member of Risda,” she said.
Noradila said she later got the nod from her mother Rosmawati Razali, 52, to build the house on her mother’s plot of land which was in front of her parents’ house in Kampung Bintang, Temerloh.
“It was very fast as after my application was approved; the house was completed within 20 days, and we only had to buy furniture and other furnishing.
“The design is simple. It has three rooms, two bathrooms, a guest hall and a kitchen which are the basic needs in any housing project nowadays,” said Noradila, after receiving the mock house key from Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob at the official launch of Rumah Bina Negara recently.
The Rumah Bina Negara programme is an initiative by the rural transformation programme to provide affordable housing for youths who live in rural areas.
It aims to provide comfortable housing for youths to increase their assets while encouraging them to live in the village without migrating to urban areas.
According to Ismail Sabri, Risda will be focusing on building single- unit houses on owners’ land, and the housing loan would also be arranged by Risda.
He said that this meant there would be less hassle to apply for loans as the required salary slip would be replaced or supported by the recommendation, and recognition from local leaders or the village chiefs.
“The cost of the house will be the same, which is at RM65,000 per unit. However, eligible buyers will only need to pay RM45,000 as the difference of RM20,000 will be subsidised by the Government,” he said. The monthly instalment will be RM250 per month.
Noradila, her husband Saiful Fazly and their daughter Dhia Anissa Dian, with the mock key of their RM45,000 house built under Risda's scheme.
He added that other Government agencies like the South Kelantan Development Authority and Central Terengganu Development Authority had also expressed interest in taking part in the programme.
Ismail Sabri said the rural areas would develop further with the participation of youths in economic activities including agriculture, which would be the catalyst for the development of other related industries in generating the local economy.
“The migration of youths to urban areas to look for jobs does not necessarily end in luxurious living as they have to pay higher rent, and also deal with the high cost of living.
“The Government has come up with initiatives to reduce the migration of youths in rural areas, and among the most effective and attractive initiatives to make them live and work in their villages are housing, apart from job opportunities,” he said.
The houses in this programme will employ made-simple construction technology by applying modular concrete blocks as the basic building material.
Among the materials used are the stretcher block, beam block, half block and knock-out block.
The design has been approved by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB).
Ismail Sabri (left) together with Noradila and Risda director-general Mohd Najib A. Samad in the dining area of her new house.
For this year, 100 applicants had been notified of their successful dream to own a house with two of them from Pahang.
Other successful applicants were from Kelantan, Terengganu, Negri Sembilan, Kedah and Perlis.
Ismail Sabri said in the recent budget tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the Government has allocated RM100mil for infrastructure development for the second generation while Risda has also been allocated RM100mil. The agency has been assigned to make the programme happen.
Ismail Sabri said the Government had earlier targeted a total of 2,000 units to be built by Risda in the 11th Malaysia Plan (2016-2020).
“However, after taking into account the allocation for Risda and another agency, it is optimistic to say that there will be 5,000 units of houses built by 2017.
“As for this year, Risda will build 100 units and more will be built every year until 2020,” he said.
