KKDW Diverts RM200 Mln From Rural Housing Programme To Settle Rural Road Arrears

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 (Bernama) -- Constraints in implementing the Sejahtera People's Housing Programme (PPRS) have led the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) to reallocate RM200 million from the programme's 2026 allocation to cover arrears in payments for rural roads projects.

Deputy Minister Datuk Rubiah Wang said the constraints included disputes over land ownership among heirs, the absence of suitable sites and overlapping applicant names.

She said the reallocation was carried out through a Notice of Change (NOC) from the original PPRS 2026 allocation of RM413 million to prevent the annual allocation from going unspent due to project delays.

Rubiah, however, stressed that the adjustment did not mean the ministry was sidelining its welfare agenda and the provision of housing for rural communities.

"Applications for PPRS are indeed very high, but we face various implementation issues on the ground... that is why some projects have had to be postponed and we need to re-examine them, which is why the RM200 million could not be spent.

"That means we can issue a NOC for rural road projects. That is why I said earlier that we are not sacrificing the interests of any particular project," she said when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill (Budget) 2027 and the Development Expenditure Estimates 2027 at the committee stage for KKDW in the Dewan Rakyat today.

For Budget 2027, she said the government had allocated RM416.2 million for the PPRS programme, which is expected to benefit 12,457 recipients through new housing construction and home repair projects nationwide.

On a related matter, Rubiah said the implementation of rural roads infrastructure projects also faced challenges following a Ministry of Finance (MOF) directive on Sept 10 last year to immediately defer the issuance of Letters of Acceptance (SST) for road projects as a spending control measure.

She said the deferment would allow the ministry to stabilise its financial position and settle commitments on earlier projects, but the absence of a fixed timeline from MOF risked causing new project tenders to be cancelled.

"An SST is valid for only two to three months. If we do not obtain further approval from MOF within six months, the project tender will certainly have to be cancelled and we will need to start a new process," she said.

According to Rubiah, under the guidelines for the preparation of the 13th Malaysia Plan, projects that fail to be tendered or implemented within two years risk being cancelled.

Citing Sabah as an example, she said 20 rural roads projects in the state at the pre-implementation stage now have their SST issuance frozen, while 62 projects in the construction phase would proceed.

The Dewan Rakyat then approved the 2027 operating and development expenditure estimates for KKDW, amounting to RM4,850,160,200 under Budget 2027, by a majority vote after 31 MPs debated the estimates.

Before adjourning the sitting, Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Seri Dr Ramli Mohd Nor took the opportunity to wish all members of the House and Malaysians a Happy Deepavali.

He also announced that the Dewan Rakyat would not sit next Monday and Tuesday, with proceedings resuming on Wednesday (Nov 11).

-- BERNAMA