KUALA LUMPUR: The government will roll out special quotas for serving and retired members of the armed forces in all housing projects developed by the Housing and Local Government Ministry.
Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the Defence Ministry will also build 30 new units for selected armed forces veterans and upgrade another 70 existing units under the Housing Blueprint 3.0.
The blueprint was first established in 2017 to introduce a holistic housing agenda for soldiers and veterans as well as for their families.
The efforts were later expanded under the second edition of the blueprint that was released in 2019.
"It feels great to see what I envisioned five years ago finally materialising.
"This success reflects the commitment of the Defence Ministry's staff and management as a whole," Hishammuddin told reporters, after the pre-launch of the Housing Blueprint 3.0 at Sateria Residensi Platinum South Valley sales gallery, here, today.
Hishamuddin said the Blueprint 3.0 will focus on three key objectives – construction, maintenance and ownership – and four major programmes will be implemented under this framework.
"The first programme is the construction of 12,733 Rumah Keluarga Malaysia Angkatan Tentera (RKMAT) in five phases between 2023 and 2030.
"Each house will be designed according to the latest specifications and will be fully-furnished, and the residential area will also include other facilities such as playgrounds, surau, multipurpose hall and sports centre.
"The second programme will focus on upgrading existing RKMAT houses from two units to a single unit by expanding the house size to include more bedrooms and bathrooms.
"The third programme will aim to boost ownership of affordable homes as more houses will be built under the Satu Anggota Satu Rumah (SASaR) initiative.
"These include 3.500 units that are currently under construction at the Sungai Besi army camp, 974 units at the Wardieburn army camp between 2023 to 2025 and 6,400 units at the Genting Klang camp between 2028 and 2034.
"These houses will be sold exclusively to members and veterans of armed forces at affordable rates," he said.
During the pre-launch, Hishammuddin also witnessed the signing ceremony by recipients of new SASaR homes at the Sungai Besi military camp.
The residential area, named Residensi Sateria, will comprise five apartment blocks with 3,500 units. The construction process is slated to be completed by 2025.
"Upon completion, Residensi Sateria will become home to 2,100 members of the armed forces, 900 veterans and 500 staff from the Defence Ministry. At present, 10,000 people have been put on the waiting list.
"This residential complex will also house 14 shop lots that will be made available to veteran entrepreneurs only," he said.
Among the recipients of new homes in Residensi Sateria was Sergeant Abdul Raset Maritus, 47, who retired in 2020 after serving the armed forces for almost two decades.
"Currently, I live in a rental house in Kuantan with my family. Getting a new home will help me save on my rental expenses," said the father of 12.
Single mother Nor Fatimah Ibrahim, 38, also became a first-time home owner through the SASaR initiative.
The mother of five has been living with her parents at Puchong Jaya after her husband, Captain Mansur Mahnul, who served in the Royal Malaysian Air Force, died of lung cancer in 2017.
Another single mother, Royal Malaysian Navy Leading Rate Siti Zura Azwanie Abdullah, 38, also received a unit at Residensi Sateria today.
She plans to move to her new home with her five children after retiring from service in January 2025.
