KUALA LUMPUR: The Penang Government should build low-cost houses for its people first and worry about land conversion later, said MCApresident Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek.

“The Chief Minister said they cannot build low-cost houses because there is no freehold land to build them on.

“If they don’t build any (low-cost houses) soon, Penang and Selangor will become states for the rich while the poor and middle class will have to leave,” Dr Chua said after a 1MCA Medical Foundation cheque presentation at the Sunway Putra Hotel here yesterday.

He said this in response to comments by Chief Minister Lim Guan Engthat the state government could not build any low-cost units because the state’s leasehold land could not be converted to freehold status.

“This is just an excuse because one does not need that requirement (of converting leasehold to freehold status) to build low-cost housing,” said Dr Chua.

He said sand and land conversion prices in Selangor were also the highest in the country.

This is further aggravated by the fact that the state government does not build any low-cost houses, he said.

At the same event, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung urged consulting engineers and architects to ensure that cables and wires used by building developers are up to standard.

Asked if developers found using low-quality cables will be penalised, the minister said: “It is too soon to tell. I will approach the relevant bodies to further investigate the matter.”

Source: The Star