Malaysia’s Minister for Local Government Development has dismissed as untrue and malicious a claim that Singaporean experts were consulted to compensate for the Malaysian Public Service’s inefficiency in housing matters.
The Minister, Nga Kor Ming said such allegations were provocative and seditious.
“The Ministry’s staff have always provided the best service while implementing affordable and holistic housing policies for the people,” Mr Nga (pictured) said.
“Civil Servants have been serving with excellence from the time of first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman until today.”
He said it was normal practice to invite foreign experts, including from Singapore, for seminars and workshops to gain knowledge and share expertise in the field of housing so that Malaysia could move forward and be in step with current developments.
Mr Nga was responding to a report which claimed the Government had to bring in experts from Singapore to resolve Malaysia’s housing issues because officials handling Malaysia’s public housing did not have sufficient expertise.
“Engagements with Singapore’s Housing and Development Board were initiated in 2018 to understand the planning and provision aspects, especially in social housing,” Mr Nga said.
“It is not wrong to improve policies based on best practices so that they are more comprehensive and practical for implementation in accordance with the Malaysian model.”
He said the Ministry had initiated similar collaboration with other countries, such as Australia and India, pertaining to private housing development and laws as well as mixed private development.
Kuala Lumpur 27 January 2023
