KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 — Large-scale housing developments in Malaysia must be guided by the Madani principles, with particular emphasis on providing essential public infrastructure, including educational facilities, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
He said any housing project with 3,500 residential units or more must include access to schools, public transport, healthcare facilities, and small business spaces for hawkers.
“I urge serious attention to this. Every project must align with the Madani principles. If there’s a school nearby, parents earning RM3,000 monthly wouldn’t need to spend RM300 to RM400 just to send their children to school. This not only reduces transportation costs but also enhances the safety of their children.
“This is what it means to be truly concerned about the people’s problems. If a project lacks an education component, say in the case of high-rise housing, developers should allocate several blocks to build vertical schools with dedicated lifts.
“The development cost of these schools would be relatively low, and the Ministry of Education will bear that portion,” Anwar said at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Residensi Aman Madani project in Bandar Sri Permaisuri here today.
Also present were the Prime Minister’s wife and Bandar Tun Razak MP Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa, and Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif.
Anwar, who is also finance minister, also directed agencies including the Housing and Local Government Ministry, mayors, city and municipal councils and departments to closely monitor all housing projects in their areas to ensure full compliance with the Madani concept.
He emphasised the need for developers to expedite construction to prevent undue hardship for homebuyers.
“Some housing projects have remained unfinished for eight years due to poor planning that failed to consider critical factors. These delays often become politicised. I want all projects to be completed promptly to ease the burden on the people,” Anwar said.
