06-07-2025
Dr Sim: Sarawak govt plans to build 20,000 affordable homes under 13MP
Dr Sim (left) receives a memento from a representative of Azmi Real Estate Agency during the gala dinner in Kuching. — Ukas photo
KUCHING (July 6): The Sarawak Government is planning to build 20,000 units of affordable housing between 2026 and 2030 under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), as part of its commitment to ensure more Sarawakians have access to decent and affordable homes.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said the move comes in response to a growing mismatch between the number of available housing units and the actual number of households across the state.
Speaking at the 2025 Azmi Real Estate Annual Gala Dinner here last night, Dr Sim cited 2023 statistics showing that Sarawak had about 770,000 housing units, while the number of heads of households was only around 630,000.
'This shows an excess of around 140,000 housing units, largely due to rural-to-urban migration and the purchase of homes for investment purposes,' he was quoted as saying in a report by the Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas).
Dr Sim, who is also the Public Health, Housing and Local Government Minister, stressed that the state government is working hard to correct this imbalance and ensure housing development meets the real needs of the people.
'Under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), we only managed to build 3,000 units. But under the 13MP, from next year until 2030, the Sarawak Economic Planning Unit (EPU) is proposing a total of 20,000 units. That's a jump from 3,000 to 20,000,' he said.
To make homeownership more accessible, especially for low-income earners, Dr Sim said the state has introduced a number of support measures, including a RM10,000 deposit assistance scheme for first-time homebuyers and housing loans with interest rates as low as one per cent for the B40 group.
He added that these low-interest loans are provided through the state's own financial body, Mutiara Mortgage and Credit, for homes priced under RM300,000. 13th Malaysia Plan affordable housing Dr Sim Kui Hian lead
