JOHOR BAHRU – The issues relating to foreigners not being allowed to buy residential properties at the multi-billion-ringgit Forest City project in Gelang Patah needs a cordial solution for it to be resolved, says the Johor state government. State Consumerism, Human Resources and Unity Committee chairman Dr S. Ramakrishnan hopes the matter would not be dragged on as it would send the wrong message to foreign investors.
“We need to come up with solutions for all, and personally I’m confident the matter will be resolved,” he said. At the moment there has yet to be a decision on reducing foreign ownership quota in regards to the Forest City project but discussion on the matter is heading in that direction.
Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin recently said the ministry would meet the Johor state government and the Forest City project management soon, including meeting the local real estate developers to get their input on ownership policy involving foreigners.
“For now, our key concern regarding this project is the government policy allowing 70 per cent ownership by foreigners. I feel this issue needs to be studied and reviewed to ensure our people’s rights are not side-lined. We need to get feedback from all quarters so that we can put together a report for the Cabinet and the prime minister in our effort to move forward. So far, we have tabled the initial report before the cabinet, which relates to the project facts including the project size, status on development that has been completed and still ongoing,” she said.
This was said by Zuraida after the National Local Government Council meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail on September 6.
In an interview on the same day, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said he will support the Johor Menteri Besar’s wish for houses in the Forest City Project to be sold to foreigners, if the MB wants Malaysians to live in wooden houses.
The taunt was made against Datuk Osman Sapian by Dr Mahathir during a joint interview with Sinar Harian and Malaysiakini on September 6.
He said allowing foreigners to purchase houses in Forest City would indeed develop the country, but it would be at the cost of the everyday Malaysians.
“If Malaysia is given to foreigners, we would develop faster and become more advanced than Singapore because they have money to invest.They are business-savvy and can build beautiful buildings, but we will live in wooden houses with leaking roofs,” he said.
Dr Mahathir is against foreigners coming and living here, saying that if they made a city that is so big, surely they would not just come here for five days.
“If they start a business here, they would not open for seven days and then return to China or their country… They would surely want to live here. When they live here, they would become part of the country. If they ask for citizenship, we would not be able to refuse,” he said.
Dr Mahathir was responding to Osman’s remarks that the Prime Minister may not understand the state’s real estate policy.
The Prime Minister had previously caused much consternation when he announced that foreigners would be barred from buying properties at the multi-billion-ringgit Forest City project.
He later clarified that Chinese nationals could indeed purchase residential units at Forest City but they would not be issued visas to live there.
