YOURSAY | ‘Affordable housing is not only a Malay problem, it's a Malaysian problem.’

Azalina: Malay dignity challenged by unaffordable homes

CQ Muar: Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said: what Malay dignity are you talking about when dignity should be earned, not demanded?

Who do you blame for those Malays being unable to purchase ‘too expensive’ houses? Are you aware that the disparity between the rich and poor Malays is a world apart, with many of the former possessing high-end condos and mansions?

Be honest. Please tell us where and how those wealth hail from (apart from those exceptional successful entrepreneurs). Are they not Umno ministers, family members, cronies, etc?

Anonymous #66570468: Webster describes ‘dignity’ as “a way of appearing or behaving that suggests seriousness and self-control, the quality of being worthy of honour or respect”.

So is dignity earned? Or blessed from birth?

Appum: Oh My God (OMG), what a statement! Taking it at face value, not that it has any, per se, I absolutely agree with the minister.

The Malay dignity is challenged again. But don't look at it with a myopic view limited to Selangor and Penang. The Malay dignity is challenged throughout the whole country, East and West Malaysia.

As she was educated at the London School of Economics, so I noted, surely one is trained to develop an inquisitive mind, and ask what the root cause of this Malay dilemma is.

After the 58 years of unbroken Umno/Malay rule of this country - since Merdeka - today on Nov 26, 2015, how come the Malays are still in the same economic morass?

With all the New Economic Policy (NEP), the Mara colleges, the scholarships reserved for Malays, the special position and treatment given to the Malays, their dignity still remains below par vis-a-vis the other races (the minister implied this, I didn't).

But behold, the latest report we have is that the top earners are Malays , beating the others. Who has failed the other Malays, Umno?

Mushiro: Umno and BN ruled Penang since independence. During this period, there was a deputy PM and also a PM from Penang.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is now DPM, is also the Penang Umno chief. What has Umno done for the Penang Malays all these time?

It was during this era that most Malays from the island moved to the mainland, encouraged by Umno. In short, the Malays were worse off during Umno-BN rule.

Pakatan Rakyat took over in 2008 and it was since then that Umno woke up to realise that the Malays in Penang have been neglected.

The federal government’s Perumahan Rakyat 1Malaysia (PR1MA) which was set up to deliver affordable houses has failed to do so. So for Umno to look elsewhere for faults is not acknowledging the real cause.

Discovery: Going by this minister's argument, the dignity of the poor people living in London or New York are also equally challenged.

If you can't afford to live in a city that you deem expensive, then move to a less, more expensive place by all means.

Just because I can't live in Penang, am I going to blame Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for that? I am just so angry that the taxes I paid are wasted on ministers like her.

Hplooi: This country is all about Malay dignity despite over 40 years of our national resources being at the disposal of Umno reactionaries.

Malaysians count for nothing. Don't like it? Ship out. Those who can afford to, have already or are in the process of getting out.

But this still leaves a significant number of citizens who are not constitutional Malays and constitutional Malays who have been somehow left by the wayside, who cannot afford to ship out and who are left to face all these c**p by a gang of alleged kleptocrats.

In my opinion, in another 10 years a significant portion of the national assets will fall into the hands of foreigners (the People’s Republic of China being a major player). When that happens, please don't blame citizens not-constitutionally Malays.

Kubang: My dignity is also challenged by the unaffordable RM10 million-plus houses around KLCC, Sri Hartamas, etc.

Oh Ya?: Opposition Leader Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (Kak Wan) should move a motion to censure this half-past-six minister for the substandard parliamentary reply.

The prevailing elevated property prices is very much liquidity-driven, a direct consequence of her government's prime-pumping the domestic economy for years for her bosses to brag of the "best economic growth rate".

The government has failed to put in place adequate policies to curb property speculation and therefore, the elevated prices. Is it due to fear that they would derail the Iskandar Johor so-called development project, which is actually a pure real estate play?

The government has also failed to steer the country from its middle-income trap to uplift the rakyat's wages and living standard.

Finally, not only the bottom 40, even the middle 40, regardless of race and creed so long they are living in major cities, cannot afford to own a house. So how could it be only the Malay pride is hurt? Anyway, what is the correlation between one's pride and house affordability?

SSG : I do feel that to save Proton and hence Dr Mahathir Mohamad's pet project from collapse, the Malays (mainly government servants) were taught to buy (read: invest in) Proton cars, etc.

But to make our country richer, the money must come from outside our country and not shift from the right pocket to the left pocket. Cars are depreciating assets.

They did not teach them to buy (read: invest in) property (e.g. houses), which are appreciating assets. So please help these government servants and build housing quarters for them.

Stop claiming that Malay dignity is hurt. It is the Umno-BN government that built all these tolled roads for their own cronies to make money.

The Analyser: I would suggest that the whole concept of affordable homes is philosophically and socially unsustainable. There is plenty of overseas evidence to suggest that vertical slums create more problems than they solve.

But in Malaysia, affordable homes are part of the Big Brother - we will look after you/keep your poor and dependent syndrome beloved by the Umno/Islam manipulators.

Low quality housing is c**p - a reflection of the greed of developers and their ‘I don’t care’ attitudes. In 20 years or less, low-cost houses will be fit only for demolition. Another waste of money, another failed government programme.

Freethinker: Property prices are being driven by market demand, locality, etc. There is a flaw in the claim that Malaysians cannot afford to buy houses in either Penang and/or Selangor.

Most youngsters nowadays cannot afford to buy a house anywhere near the city centre without the support of their parents.

Unless you are set to stay 30km away from city centre, all youngsters will have the same dilemma. This is not only a Malay problem, it's a Malaysian problem.

SSDhaliwal: Kota Kinabalu’s real estate market is higher than Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, and it is under BN rule.

Sabahan: In Sabah, semi-detached houses in major towns can cost RM1 million or more. Nobody said Kadazan, Dusun, Chinese, Bajau, Suluk or Indian dignity is being challenged.

Only Azalina's intellect is mentally challenged.

Tpn: What about the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST)? Isn't this also a challenge to Malay dignity?

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