KUALA LUMPUR, The 'One Member, One House (SASaR)' housing programme in Wardieburn and Setapak provides relief to military personnel to own a home in the heart of the capital.
A member of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Major Wan Mohd Ismail Wan Ishak, 42, said owning a house in Kuala Lumpur requires a lot of capital because the prices of houses in the market reach up to RM500,000.
"House prices in Kuala Lumpur are high and SASaR provides affordable houses for military personnel at reasonable prices.
"We (members) can turn this into an asset for the future," he told Bernama after the launch of the SASaR Housing Project at Wardieburn Camp here today.
The father of four children aged five to 13 said he had bought a SASaR housing unit in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur last year as an investment and convenience for the family.
Another member of the Malaysian Army, Warrant Officer 1 Hairul Nizam Hamzah, 41, said he had already bought a housing unit under the SASaR project in Sungai Besi here after getting advice from his colleague.
"The senior members have educated and advised us to buy a house even if the money (salary) is low...with this housing project, I believe all members can get a house as their own property.
"Now the economy is improving and SASaR opens up opportunities for members to buy houses at a cost that is not too high compared to elsewhere," said the Negeri Sembilan native.
Likewise, Navy personnel Senior Petty Officer Siti Fatimah Muhammad, 40, said the SASaR project can ensure members own a house before retirement.
"As members of various ranks, the salary is just enough and when there is an opportunity to own a house through the SASaR project, it promises members to have their own home after retirement," said Siti, who has served for 19 years in the security force.
The SASaR Wardieburn and Setapak housing construction project is an initiative of the Ministry of Defence to provide housing ownership opportunities for members of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), veterans and civil servants in the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) in Kuala Lumpur.
Earlier, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah today officiated the SASaR housing project at Camp Wardieburn and Genting Klang Camp, Setapak here today.
The SASaR MAF Wardieburn housing project will involve the construction of 974 residential units of 1,400 and 1,500 square feet.
In addition, the SASaR MAF Setapak housing project will involve the construction in stages of 6,400 residential units with an area between 1,000 square feet and 1,200 square feet.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said at a press conference that the construction cost for SASaR Wardieburn and Setapak housing, which cost RM2.4 million, was fully funded by the developer Platinum Victory Development Sdn Bhd with the expectation of completion in stages from 2026.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency