10/12/2025

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Govt exceeds target of affordable homes provided

N. Sembilan a dynamic investment destination

SEREMBAN: Rapid development and a steady influx of new investments have positioned Negeri Sembilan as one of the most dynamic investment destinations in the peninsula. Seremban MP Anthony Loke said this investment momentum is evident from the construction of new factories and the rise in land acquisitions, which contributes to the increase in the state government’s land premium collection. “This can be clearly seen in the non-tax revenue for 2026, projected at RM372 million, driven largely by land premiums, similar to the trend over the past two years. “To sustain this level of revenue, the state government’s goal of reaching RM1 billion in revenue by 2030 is achievable, provided efforts continue to be made to maintain a consistently positive investment climate,” he noted. Loke said the state government’s target is to achieve revenue collection of RM1 billion by 2030 but emphasised the need for continuous initiatives to ensure the state remains conducive and attractive to investors. He said the Seremban Sentral project is a key catalyst in the city’s transformation into a modern economic centre, and would become a landmark for Seremban. “The development includes a shopping mall, a private medical centre and an office tower, all integrated with the Seremban Railway Station, a design that would strengthen the area’s role as a strategic transport hub,” said Loke, who is also Chennah assemblyman. He said Seremban’s importance as a mobility hub is set to rise with the construction of a new station and the launch this week of the Southern Electric Train Service between Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru. According to him, the federal government is upgrading and redeveloping the double track between Seremban and Kuala Lumpur, a project expected to be completed within two years. Datuk Saiful Yazan Sulaiman (BN-Johol) said the state has recorded stable economic performance and is forecast to grow by between 3.7% and 4.0% next year, Bernama reported. “This shows that the state is on a strong trajectory despite global economic uncertainties. The unemployment rate has been kept low at about 2.9% while inflation is under control at around 1.7%. He praised the state’s success in attracting investments, noting RM7.2 billion in 2024 and RM6.2 billion as of the third quarter this year, with a projected RM8 billion next year.

the Housing Development Account, give him confidence that there would be no abandoned housing projects by 2030, Bernama reported. He also said the federal government has revived 1,333 sick and abandoned housing projects across the country, bringing relief to nearly 160,000 homebuyers.

portion of claims arises from lifestyle-related illnesses, such as cardiovascular diseases.” He said by incentivising preventive care, early screening and wellness programmes through tax benefits or co-funded initiatives, the sector could reduce long-term claims burdens and help stabilise costs for consumers. Nor Azman underscored the role of innovation and digitalisation in the insurance and takaful sector. He urged the public to be proactive about their health while understanding the coverage and benefits available under their plans. “The rising cost of treatment is a pressing issue affecting consumers and the broader insurance and takaful ecosystem. He said this requires close collaboration with healthcare providers, regulators and industry stakeholders to promote transparency, cost efficiency and responsible pricing within the healthcare system. “Affordability cannot be addressed by a single party. It requires an ecosystem approach involving policymakers, regulators, healthcare providers, industry players and consumers. “By working together, we could maintain sustainable contribution levels and ensure quality healthcare remains accessible and financially sustainable for Malaysians in the years to come.” development project would serve as transit housing for youths and would be managed by the Johor Housing Development Corporation. “In that area, rent for a three-bedroom unit is around RM2,000, but the government has set the rate at RM600 for same unit and RM200 for a one-bedroom unit to assist young people who are newly employed or newly married. “The project is in the tender process and construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of next year.” relentlessly for three years to revive the stalled projects. He announced that the ministry has approved RM82 million for the construction of Johor’s first Program Residensi Rakyat in Larkin. He said the integrated

o Success stems from implementation of the Madani housing reforms: Minister

JOHOR BAHRU: The Madani government has provided 511,544 affordable homes, exceeding the target of 500,000 units set under the 12th Malaysia Plan. Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said the achievement as of Sept 30 covers units that have been completed, are under construction, and have obtained planning approval. He said the success stems from close cooperation between the federal and state governments, as well as private developers, and the implementation of the Madani He said many of these previously delayed developments have been completed, with many homebuyers moving into their new residences. “This milestone was made possible through the collaboration of various parties, including civil servants, responsible developers who stepped in to rescue projects and homebuyers who showed patience throughout the process.” According to Nga, the ministry’s special task force has been working Rising cost of private healthcare causes concern housing reforms announced by the ministry on Nov 20. “The Madani government has become the first administration to make history by not only meeting, but also surpassing the target of building 500,000 affordable homes.” Nga said Klang Valley recorded the highest number of affordable housing units built due to its dense population, followed by Johor. He added that the five key reform mechanisms, including the Electronic Sales and Purchase Agreement, the Housing Integrated Management System and audits of

Ű BY KIRTINEE RAMESH newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: The rising cost of private healthcare is emerging as a serious concern for the sustainability of health insurance and takaful premiums, warned Takaful Malaysia Group CEO Nor Azman Zainal. He said treatment charges have consistently outpaced general inflation, driven by higher medical costs, increased utilisation of healthcare services and the adoption of advanced medical technologies. “Medical inflation is a key concern for the sustainability of health protection offerings in Malaysia. “In 2025, we continue to see double-digit growth in medical claims, reflecting higher treatment charges and service utilisation.” For the takaful sector, the implications are particularly direct. Contributions from customers are pooled to pay for medical claims and rising treatment costs put pressure on the fund, making long-term sustainability a challenge. He emphasised that prudent cost management and responsible stewardship are crucial to safeguard customers’ interests. Nor Azman said sustainability requires greater collaboration across the entire healthcare ecosystem, including insurance and takaful operators, healthcare providers, regulators and consumers. Collective efforts to promote cost transparency, fair pricing, ethical

Nor Azman underscored the role of innovation and digitalisation in the insurance and takaful sector. – ADAM AMIR HAMZAH/THESUN

reduce unnecessary outflows and make protection more efficient.” Bank Negara Malaysia, together with industry stakeholders, is developing an affordable basic medical and health insurance and takaful product. He said this initiative aims to expand affordable protection, make healthcare coverage more accessible to middle and lower-income households, curb rising medical costs, stabilise premiums and contributions. “Preventive healthcare is another critical focus area. A significant

charging practices and preventive healthcare initiatives would be essential in managing medical inflation and protecting the affordability of coverage. On immediate measures to prevent premiums from becoming unaffordable, he pointed to addressing medical cost inflation as the top priority. “Strengthening claims data sharing, promoting evidence-based treatment guidelines and adopting outcome-based pricing models with healthcare providers could help

Art sector has lowest social security coverage, says ministry

KUALA LUMPUR: The arts sector still registers as the group with the lowest social security coverage, said Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong. He said this was despite over 860,000 self-employed individuals contributing to the Social Security Organisation (Socso) under its Self-Employment

from January to October, with total payments exceeding RM25.9 million. He added that Socso is focused on raising awareness and participation in the arts industry, which operates independently without permanent employers, making them exposed to risk of losing their incomes due to injury or accidents. – Bernama

involvement need to be intensified through matching contributions, with the government allocating subsidies of up to 70% for Self-Employment Social Security Scheme contributions in Budget 2026. He also said Socso has channelled beneifts to 6,815 Self-Employment Social Security Scheme contributors

matching contribution allocations, especially among those in the arts sector as they are also exposed to various unexpected work risks.” The programme is an awareness platform to raise public awareness on the importance of social security for self-employed individuals. Sim said efforts to boost art sector

Social Security Scheme. As of 860,016 self-employed individuals in sectors including food transport, food delivery and traders, have registered with Socso, but only 9,660, or 1.12%, are from the arts sector. “We need to redouble our efforts and spread information about our November,