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Kuala Lumpur: A total of one million affordable housing units will be developed by the federal government, state authorities and private developers between 2026 and 2035 to provide more Malaysians with access to safe and comfortable homes, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced today.

Tabling the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) in the Dewan Rakyat, Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said the initiative will be implemented through a range of programmes including Residensi Madani, the Public Servants Housing Scheme, the New Home Construction Assistance Programme, the Affordable Housing Scheme and Rumah Bakat Madani.

“The government remains committed to ensuring access to quality, affordable and inclusive housing,” he said, adding that as of this year, 180,000 housing units have been completed, with another 235,000 currently under construction.

Despite these efforts, Anwar acknowledged that structural issues, such as the mismatch between housing supply and demand, as well as property prices that remain beyond the reach of many, continue to pose challenges.

To address these concerns, he said initiatives such as the Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme and the Rent-to-Own (RTO) programme will be expanded, enabling more low- and middle-income Malaysians to purchase homes.

He added that the adoption of modern construction technologies, including the Industrialised Building System (IBS) and Building Integrated Management, will help expedite housing delivery and reduce construction costs, particularly for public housing projects.

Anwar also highlighted Kota Madani in Putrajaya, a collaboration between the government and Putrajaya Holdings, as a model for future affordable housing development. The project embodies the concept of umran hadhari, which refers to urban prosperity rooted in values, ethics and sustainable development.

“This approach offers citizens not only a place to live, but a meaningful urban lifestyle that integrates progress with values, modernity with ethics and technology with humanity,” he said.

The 13MP, themed ‘Melakar Semula Pembangunan’ (Redesigning Development), covers the period from 2026 to 2030 and aims to reform the country’s socio-economic agenda in line with the Malaysia Madani framework.

The plan outlines key policies, strategies and initiatives to strengthen nation-building, enhance public well-being, promote environmental sustainability, improve governance, as well as drive regional and global economic growth.