State executive councillor Jagdeep Singh Deo has proposed to the Federal Government to prohibit foreigners and locals from rental of low-cost and low medium-cost housing schemes as well as to enact legislation regarding urban regeneration.

He said he was very happy that Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican was receptive to his proposals when they had a meeting yesterday.

Jagdeep said specific housing needs like hostels should also be provided for foreigners, who reside in low-cost and low medium-cost schemes.

“We have seen many problems arising when the foreigners stay in many of our housing schemes. In fact, 70 percent of the Covid-19 clusters in the state are from factories and the majority of them are from foreigners. It’s very unfortunate, I have nothing against them.

“But we want to take care of them. We have to provide specific housing for them so that the infection will not spread,” Jagdeep told a press conference in Komtar today. It was also carried live via his Facebook page.

Thus far, he said Penang has 11 housing schemes accommodating 70,000 foreigners.

“If we see many foreigners in many of our housing schemes, we should look at our laws to disallow them from staying there.

“At the moment it is a federal law which needs federal intervention whereby an amendment can be made to prohibit rental of low-cost and low medium-cost housing not just to foreigners but also locals.

“This is our desire in Penang. We want to ensure they are owner occupied. I have said this before and he (Reezal Merican) agreed with me,” Jagdeep added.

He said he had suggested to the ministry to look into a new enactment to deal with urban regeneration after learning that some 12 legislations, guidelines and regulations have to be amended during his discussion with Reezal Merican and his officers at the meeting.

“To amend the 12 legislations, guidelines and guidelines that involve for instance National Land
Code will take a long time. We have already suggested that there should be a specific law enacted for urban regeneration and Datuk Seri Reezal has told his officers to study the proposal.

“I think this is amazing. We need to move forward and quickly. It is nothing new; others like Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia have done so. To enact this new law is not only for Penang but for all states,” he added.

Jagdeep thanked Reezal Merican for giving him and his team a warm welcome, describing their meeting as “comfortable” which he said augurs well for a good working relationship between the state and federal governments.

In their discussion, Jagdeep said he has also sought Federal financial assistance for the maintenance of eligible public and private housing schemes. He revealed that the state has received some RM50 million from the Federal Government and that he expected more for the coming year.

He said from 2008 until August 2021, the Penang government has spent a total of nearly RM282 million on the maintenance works of these stratified buildings.

Other than that, Jagdeep said he had also informed Reezal Merican on Penang’s need for more PPR (low-cost) units where so far only 999 units had been built in the state as well as Penang’s target to build 220,000 affordable homes by 2030 in line with the Penang2030 vision.

Also present at the press conference were the Penang Housing Board general manager Ainul Fadhilah Samsudi and Penang State Secretariat office head of local government division Nur Aishah Md Norodin.

Source: Buletin Mutiara

By William (BJ) Huffman

In 2015, my wife and I began to consider our retirement plans. We knew that we wanted to move to Southeast Asia as we wanted to take advantage of our age and travel in this part of our world while our health still permitted.

While researching online, my wife discovered the Malaysia My 2nd Home (MM2H) programme. After spending a holiday here in 2016, we were convinced that Malaysia would become our new home!

We initially chose Malaysia because of its high use of English language, central location for easy travel across Asia and the promise of a renewable 10-year MM2H visa.

After retiring and moving to Penang in 2018, our reasons for living here have changed significantly. We quickly came to love many things about living in Malaysia.

Friendly smiles from almost everyone we encounter or a stranger’s willingness to go out of his way to help a lost and bumbling orang asing convinced us that Malaysians are truly warm and friendly people.

We love it when locals recommends their favourite food such as Penang laksa, curry mee, ikan bakar, chicken masala, durian kampung, rojak or cendol, and have come to embrace the food culture.

We have marked our calendar with all of the holidays celebrated here and have come to realise that not only is Malaysia a multiethnic and multicultural society, but more importantly, you allow each group to maintain its cultural identity (unlike our country, which forces immigrants to assimilate and conform). We have tried our best to fit in Malaysia.

We now have an adik lelaki and an adik perempuan, and we love spending time at their house in Kota Kuala Muda.

We have helped honour relatives at wakes and funerals with new friends in Penang and Seberang Prai.

I continue to study Bahasa and do my best to learn Hokkien (just knowing lu ho bo, cam siah and ho chiah goes a long way on the island).

We’ve also learned to say “salam pakcik/makcik” in Kedah and found out that a simple “nandri” usually elicits another smile when ordering roti canai or nasi kandar.

We have supported a fund-raiser for the volunteer bomba in Tanjung Bungah (Mount Erskine), attended a dinner honouring the police for their efforts during the pandemic and were privileged to have tea with the former governor of Penang (and, yes, I was taught by a friend to address him as Tuan Yang Terutama).

However, beginning Oct 1, the rules of the MM2H programme (and the lives of all MM2H visa holders) will change.

While the original rule of the programme required applicants to have a minimum of RM10,000 per month in offshore income, we are now required to have RM40,000 per month.

While the original rule required us to deposit RM150,000 in a fixed deposit in Malaysia, we are now required to place RM1,000,000 in a fixed deposit.

As financially blessed as my wife and I are, we (along with 90 to 95 per cent of

visa holders) will no longer qualify for the programme and will have to leave Malaysia when our visas expire.

We are privileged to live in Malaysia and know that the government has the right to change the rules, and we acknowledge that we are not entitled to any special treatment.

More importantly, the government is focused on leading our country out of the most challenging situation since World War 2, not on trying to appease a small number of orang asing kaya.

However, the promise of the MM2H programme has always been that any new, stricter requirements would not apply to existing visa holders.

Our hope and prayer are that Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin will reconsider the requirements as they apply to the current visa holders.

We sincerely want to remain in Malaysia and enjoy the wonderfully diverse and hospitable culture that you have created here.

William (BJ) Huffman (MM2H Holder), Penang

(This article was first published in NST Online)

A proposed development by Indana Development Sdn. Bhd. (a subsidiary of Metro Jelata Group) at Seberang Jaya. Located off Lorong Janggus Jaya 1, just a stone’s throw away from AEON Big Hypermarket. It is only 2 minutes away from Seberang Jaya Roundabout, with easy access to North-South Expressway and Butterworth-Kulim Expressway. Neighboring communities include Primero Heights Condominium, Kelisa Residence, K Residence, Taman Naluri Indah and few others.

This will be a gated and guarded community, featuring 113 units of 3-storey linked houses with five different design types.

The project is still pending approval. Details to be available upon project launch.

Project Name : (to be confirmed)
Location : Seberang Jaya
Property Type : Gated and guarded residential
Total Units: 113
Built-up Size: (to be confirmed)
Indicative Price: (to be confirmed)
Developer: Indana Development Sdn. Bhd. (Metro Jelata Group)

DISCLAIMER: This article is solely based on research done using publicly available data. This is not an advertisement. Any claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a project or service should be verified with the developer, provider, or party in question.

At Mezzo, the first residential component at The Light City mixed-use development on Penang island, 40% of its 456 units of luxury seafront condominiums have been taken up since its launch in April this year. The developer is IJM Perennial Development Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between IJM Corp Bhd and Perennial Holdings Pte Ltd.

IJM Perennial Development general manager Tan Hun Beng says via email, “Buyers, predominantly locals, are attracted to the project’s location, the surrounding facilities and the waterfront living environment.”

With a gross development value of RM512 million, Mezzo offers 2- and 3-bedroom units with built-ups of 1,033 to 1,367 sq ft over two 34-storey towers on a 4.12-acre parcel. The units are priced from RM900,000 to RM1.399 million.

“Both 2- and 3-bedroom unit types were equally popular, with buyers having a choice of the Penang Bridge or George Town view. All units come with a sweeping view of the sea,” says Tan.

He notes that there are only four units per floor at the development. “Private yet pleasant at the same time, [Mezzo] is perfect for individuals who want to have their own quiet space or for families or friends who wish to purchase the units together.”

According to him, many of the buyers bought units for their own stay, although a few were buying for investment. “The buyers see the project as offering value for money, and there is the prospect of rental income and future capital appreciation.

“Response to the Home Ownership Campaign (HOC) 2021 has been encouraging and homebuyers were able to benefit from the exemptions and discounts on Mezzo,” he adds.

Mezzo offers a range of amenities, including a gymnasium, an aqua gym, a sea-fronting swimming pool, jacuzzi, yoga pavilion, landscaped garden, children’s playground, games and reading rooms, a fitness station, function rooms and an al fresco barbecue area.

Situated at the waterfront along the eastern coast of the island, the development is served by the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway and is near the Penang Bridge, Penang International Airport, Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone and a ferry terminal.

According to Tan, the developer has been relying heavily on online marketing as the project’s sales gallery is closed owing to movement restrictions. “We have been engaging with and reaching out to our customers online. However, we are positive on sales in the coming months when the sales gallery reopens and restrictions are eased.”

The 32.76-acre The Light City is in Phase 2 of the RM6.5 billion The Light Waterfront Penang development, which was first launched in 2009 and comprises three phases. It will have residential, recreational, business, entertainment, retail, hospitality and commercial components.

Phase 1 comprises 42 acres of residential development in which a total of 1,177 units of high-end residential units have been completed. Phase 2 is a 103-acre mixed-use development, while Phase 3 is a 7-acre Seafront Park.

Source: TheEdgeMarkets.com

About The Amarene

Part of Ideal Vision Park development by Ideal Homes in Bayan Lepas, Penang. This development is strategically located along Jalan Tun Dr. Awang, adjacent to Tree Sparina condominium. It is just a mere minutes drive to Straits International School and Penang International Airport. Featuring a 35-storey condominium that offers 410 residential units with built-up size ranges from 1,100 sq.ft to 1,200 sq.ft.

Find out more about The Amarene