Unqualified applicants awarded low-cost houses in Penang

GEORGE TOWN (July 31): Adherence to the terms and conditions of application for Low-Cost Housing Programs (PPKR) in Penang was not up to par, according to the Auditor-General's Annual report 2016 Series 1.

There were applicants who exceeded the qualification for getting the houses while those who were qualified were still waiting for their homes, Bernama reported today on the Auditor-General's report.

According to the same report, for 2014 until 2016, 208 applicants earning more than RM2,500 received the low-cost houses and applicants earning between RM2,501 and RM3,500 recorded the highest approvals with 162 applicants.

"For the same period, there were four cases of applications which were approved involving applicants earning more than RM8,500,” Bernama reported on the audit report which was tabled in Parliament today.

The audit also revealed that 490 PPKR applicants and 666 applicants for the Public Housing Project did not receive any homes although they had registered for more than 15 years.

“Among the reasons [for the problems] was the weaknesses in the data migration process from the old to the new system and the audit also found there was no planning for the development of new housing although the Various Trust Accounts For the Financing of Low-Cost Public Housing Projects had a high balance,” stated the report.

According to Bernama, the report also said that 436 units of PPR were still vacant while a total of 3,747 applications for housing schemes in Penang were still on the waiting list for such homes.