JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor state government has stressed that it has never and will not offer subsidies or free houses to foreigners, including Singaporeans.
State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said reports that there were such offers were untrue and it is a scam.
He said this was because the state government had set a floor price of RM1 million for house purchases by foreigners.
“This policy remains a measure to protect the interests of local people and ensure that affordable housing is always a priority for the people of Johor,“ he said when contacted.
He said that 19 cases of scams involving the Johor Affordable Housing (RMMJ) with losses of about RM155,000 that had been reported previously should serve as a reminder for the people to be more vigilant against dubious offers and to refer to official state government channels.
Mohd Jafni explained that free houses in Johor are only given to the hardcore poor under the Rumah Kasih Johor (RKJ) initiative, for which RM67.5 million has been allocated until 2026 with a target of building 500 units.
He said the initiative was to ensure that hardcore poor families get a comfortable and secure place to live.
According to him, until last June, 17,745 RMMJ units with a price range between RM42,000 and RM300,000 had been handed over to the people, thus showing that the state government is consistent and that housing is a priority for its people in line with the Maju Johor 2030 aspiration.
Johor police chief CP Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad was quoted today as saying that his party has not received any reports regarding the Johor-Singapore housing subsidy fraud following a warning issued by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) regarding the case.
Yesterday, Singapore media reported that SPF had warned about a scam involving Johor-Singapore housing subsidies that had gone viral on Facebook.
The scam victim allegedly found an advertisement with a link promoting the “JBSG Housing Subsidy Programme” or “Free Homes Across the Causeway” on the platform.
The report was quoted as saying that the advertisement depicted a collaboration between the Johor and Singapore governments in providing subsidised housing. – Bernama