Friday, January 22, 2010

HOUSING FOR RAKYAT?







BEDB vs MINISTRY OF DEVELOPMENT

Ministry of Development, NBD through the Housing Development Department and Public Work Department are responsible for the nation housing development for the rakyat of Brunei.

It was the Government under His Majesty The Sultan and Yang DiPertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam determination in implementing and providing all its rakyat with proper accommodation in pleasant environment, with the rakyat households owing their own houses.

Therefore, to realizing this determination, through Housing Development Department and Public Work Department of Ministry of Development, NBD are to be responsible in the Planning, Design, Build, Implementation, Distribution and Maintenance to the Rakyat under the National Housing Scheme, Indigenous Landless Scheme and Resettlement Scheme for Negara Brunei Darussalam.

The other side of the story, the involvement of the BEDB to build 4000 houses on 308 hectares of land near Kg Mentiri in Bandar Seri Begawan (awarded to UEM Builders, Malaysian company) and the current project with 2000 houses build at Pandan 10, Kuala Belait (awarded to Bina Puri also Malaysian company) under the National Housing Scheme, had raise the public discontent, if we to compare the sizes of the houses from the two housing projects i.e. MOD and BEDB.

Number of the public especially the Rakyat expressed their concern on the cost of the house build by MOD/HDD was much cheaper than the cost the house build by the BEDB. Tracked down an old BEDB press release about the cost of the houses sometime in February 2009, according to the BEDB’s infrastructure division, the cost per house in Bina Puri’s tender price is lower than for the previous contracts awarded under the National Housing Scheme as a result of greater efficiency and economic of scale. There will be saving for the government in term of both time and money as per the BEDB’s Senior Executive Engineer.

Despite the BEDB’s SEE claims, the Rakyat were very much disappointed to learn that the cost is not any lower than that build by the MOD/HDD. The average cost per house was B$53,000.00 but if the total cost project of around B$289 million is divided over 2000 houses, then each house will cost around B$144,000.00 each excluding the value of the land and excluding the value of the sewerage treatment plants which normally included in all housing projects. Whatever it is the government has to absorb around B$100,000.00 subsidies as currently terrace houses will be sold at around B$43,000.00 to B$45,000.00 depending on whether it is a corner unit.

Anyway, evenif there is no saving in money, there is indeed saving in time. The houses are build on raft foundation (no failing).

Furthermore the houses are build not in accordance to our MIB concept where majority the buyer are the Brunei malay families.

“ Jika dasar perekonomian Negara dipegang oleh mereka yang tidak beriman kepada Allah….maka kita nantikan lah kehancurannya”

TITAH DIJUNJUNG, MEMPERKSAKAN RAKYAT

by: Dr Hj Mohd Hatta Bin Hj Zainal Abidin