ALOR GAJAH (April 24): There is no issue of payment arrears by Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd (SPNB) to the contractors appointed to complete housing projects under the company as has been circulating on social media recently.

SPNB chairman Datuk Husam Musa said the issue of payment of arrears had been resolved in 2021, and the video that is being viralled now is an old one from 2019.

"SPNB has introduced a new application to make the process of payments to contractors easier and done in less than a week, and the progress of construction can be checked online.

“Therefore, payments can be made fast, and there are currently no arrears. SPNB has gained the trust of contractors across the country to carry out the planned housing projects," he said when met by reporters at the Rumah Mesra Rakyat (RMR) handover ceremony for the Masjid Tanah parliamentary constituency at Kampung Durian Daun here on Wednesday.

He said the efforts implemented by SPNB could help contractors manage capital and costs for each housing project well, and to complete the project on time.

He said that currently, there are 3,000 contractors registered nationwide under SPNB, with 108 companies in Melaka.

Therefore, Husam urged all parties to stop playing up the issue of arrears, as the allegations are not true and can tarnish SPNB's image.

Meanwhile, he said this year, SPNB will build a total of 3,500 units of RMR 1.0 and 3,100 units of RMR 2.0 nationwide, and so far, there are no delays or issues related to these projects.

"In Melaka alone this year up till yesterday (Tuesday), we have built 130 units of RMR 1.0, and we will build another 39 units beginning next week,” he said.

"Overall, the total number of RMR construction applications throughout the country has increased to 190,000, and in Melaka, there are currently 7,336 people waiting for their turn," he said.

Earlier, Husam handed over house keys to six applicants, and work indents under the RMR programme to five contractors in the Masjid Tanah parliamentary constituency.

The price of each RMR unit being constructed is RM75,000, and each unit will have a construction subsidy of RM20,000, with a payment rate of RM300 per month over a 16-year repayment period.