Fedina S. Sundaryani, Tangerang, Banten – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo attended on Thursday a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a low-cost apartment project in Tangerang, Banten, mainly designated for laborers in the industrial region.
Jokowi said the low-cost apartment – located in the Ciputat area and constructed by PP Urban, a subsidiary of state-owned construction firm PT PP – will be made up of 9,000 units, 6,000 of which would be exclusively offered to laborers. Each unit will be sold for Rp 293 million (US$22,066), with a 1 percent down payment.
"I have seen a model for the [apartment] just now and it's very nice. It has two bedrooms and a dining room. If the real [units] look exactly like the model, then even I want one," Jokowi joked in his remarks.
The President added that it was extremely important to build low-cost apartments and offer housing for low-income laborers, as many lived far from their workplaces, forcing them to spend more on transportation.
"This is extremely important as one of the basic needs of laborers is affordable and habitable housing. The government will continue to help build housing that is affordable, and we hope that every time we build one, [all the units] will be filled up," Jokowi said, adding that he will attend another groundbreaking event for low-cost houses in Depok, West Java, in the next few weeks.
Last year, the government issued its flagship 1 million houses program to reduce the housing backlog to 6.8 million houses in 2019 from 13.5 million in 2014.
Under the program, the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry and developers, alongside regional administrations and other agencies are expected to build 700,000 low-cost houses annually, while developers are also expected to build 300,000 commercial houses annually.
Also in 2016, the government issued an economic policy package that decreased the number of permits for low-cost housing construction to 11 from 33. (hwa)