Eighty-eight housing developers in Johor have been imposed penalties between 2016 and 2018 for failing to complete the state’s affordable housing projects under Rumah Mampu Biaya Johor (RMBJ).

State Housing, Communications and Multimedia Committee chairman Dzulkefly Ahmad said 41 of these developers were in Johor Bahru district, followed by 13 in Kulai, eight in Segamat, seven in Batu Pahat, six in Kluang, five in Kota Tinggi, four in Muar and two each in Tangkak and Pontian.

“Under the previous state government, the penalty was between RM20,000 and RM60,000 per unit."

“Based on the new policy, approved last year, the new charge is RM40,000 per unit for a lump-sum payment and RM60,000 per unit if paid in four instalments over two years,” he told the state assembly.

He was replying to a supplementary question from Yeo Tung Siong (PH-Pekan Nenas), who requested for the list of developers who were charged penalties for failing to complete the RMBJ projects between 2013 and 2019.

In a related development, he said since April 1, housing developers are no longer allowed to swap lots for Bumiputera houses, based on a resolution in the newly-enforced Bumiputera Property Policy.

He said this in response to a supplementary question from Andrew Chan (PH-Stulang), who wanted to know whether housing developers could still swap Bumiputera lots after the Bumiputera lot distribution process had been approved.