KUCHING: The Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers’ Association (Sheda) is overcoming the state’s dependency on foreign labourers in the building industry by collaborating with institutions of higher learning.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was exchanged between Sheda and Swinburne University during the Sheda Property Expo 2019 opening ceremony at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here, on Friday.
“The purpose of this collaboration is to venture into technical research and development of sustainable building and construction technology,” remarked Sheda president Dr Christopher Ngui in his speech.
“It also aims to upskill our local labour workforce through short technical courses and vocational training for our local tradesmen in building construction,” he added.
Ngui also touched on initiatives to promote the property market, one of which was the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) campaign, a programme run by the Malaysia Ministry of Tourism which allows foreigners who fulfill certain criteria to reside in Malaysia on a long-term basis.
According to him, MM2H recorded a total number of 42,271 approved participants in Malaysia from 2002 until last year — an average of about 2,487 annually.
“Sarawak, however, recorded only 48 successful applicants in 2006 and gradually increased to 1,064 in 2018 — averaging to about 87 successful applicants per year,” he said, pointing out that was only 3.5 per cent of the national average and rather insignificant.
He believed that the low uptake rate in Sarawak could be attributed to its MM2H policies which are not as competitive as in Peninsular Malaysia.
“Another important factor is the lack of international air connectivity to Sarawak,” stressed Ngui.
“Sarawak, with its beautiful culture and natural landscape plus its low cost of living, is definitely a choice for many to make it their second home,” he emphasised, urging that the state should capitalise on its inherent advantages and strategise to become a regional hub.
In light of this, Ngui revealed that Sheda has been actively participating in engagement sessions with the State Tourism Ministry by submitting a proposal suggesting improvements to the current Sarawak MM2H policy for consideration.
He said that attracting more applicants for the MM2H programme in Sarawak would boost the local economy and increase uptake rate in the housing sector.
Besides MM2H improvements, he also suggested for the Home Ownership Campaign (HOC) 2019 to be extended to further enhance the housing market and allow potential homeowners a longer timeframe to decide on a house of their choice.
HOC was initiated by the federal government to spur the sales of unsold properties in Malaysia’s housing market and the stamp duty waiver implemented via the programme is only applicable for residential properties purchased from a developer registered with Sheda, Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association (Rehda), and Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers’ Association (Shareda).
“The ongoing campaign will end on December 31 this year. Therefore, I encourage potential house buyers to take this opportunity during this three-day expo to purchase a new home and enjoy at least ten percent discount and great savings from the stamp duty waiver,” Ngui urged.
Sheda Property Expo 2019 organising chairman and Sheda assistant treasurer-general John Yong in his speech announced that 90 booths from 67 exhibitors were participating in the expo, providing a wide range of housing options for potential buyers.
“Developers have invested a lot of effort into creating a living space that fulfils expectations and market demands. Those who are interested can survey and compare the different price points in the market,” he said.
The expo, which began on Friday, will end today (Sept 22).
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg officiated at the opening ceremony. Also present were Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian and Sheda Kuching branch chairman Sim Kiang Chiok.
