TNB gives keys to new homes for 30 families struggling with economic hardships in KL

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 — Around 30 families facing economic hardship in Kuala Lumpur were grateful to be handed keys to their newly owned homes courtesy of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).

This was made possible through the TNB’s Baiti Jannati Keluarga Malaysia 2021 programme.

The selected beneficiaries consist of hardcore poor families from the People Housing Projects (PPR) and from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s Public Housing (PA DBKL) who have been renting there for some time now.

The programme is a collaboration between TNB and The Federal Territories Ministry (KWP), DBKL along with Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP) and is also a continuation of TNB’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives which includes Projek Mesra Rakyat (PMR) introduced in 2007.

A total of 38 families were handed keys to their homes through the Baiti Jannati Keluarga Malaysia initiative, with a sum of RM1.5 million spent by TNB for the 30 housing units.

From that 38, eight families have received housing units through the PMR initiatives amounting to RM400,000, with contributions from YWP.

According to TNB chairman Datuk Seri Hassan Ariffin, the PBJ initiatives include home restorations, home building and even home financing for the poor such as single mothers, the elderly, the urban poor and also the B40.

“Since the programme was introduced in 2007, a total of 879 homes across peninsular Malaysia have either been restored, rebuilt or financed which has cost over RM39.22 million.

“These projects were funded using TNB’s annual zakat business income which was returned by the state’s Islamic Religious Council.

“TNB is always concerned about the wellbeing of the local community and hopes that this assistance will help the beneficiaries to live a more comfortable life,” Hassan said at the Baiti Jannati house handover ceremony at the Beringin PPR community centre.

One of the happy recipients is 52-year-old Kaniapan Gohkulan, who expressed his relief and gratitude towards TNB for helping him with his home.

Kaniapan is working as a security guard at a clinic for one year now after being jobless for almost three years.

He is also the sole breadwinner in his family and a single father taking care of his four children who are still in school.

“I’m very happy and I really want to thank TNB and YWP for choosing me and helping to ease my financial burdens,” he told Malay Mail.

Father of eight, Zaini Zaman Maphors is grateful to be among the lucky ones to be listed under the PBJ programme.

Zaini who lives at the Pantai Dalam PPR with his eight children and a wife, has been jobless since the first MCO.

The 54-year-old said that he had tried to apply to be a postman and a few other jobs but was denied due to his age.

In order to support his family, Zaini has resorted to a series of daily jobs such as grass cutting and chopping down trees.

“All of my children are still studying, so I am supporting them with my wife, plus, my wife is an army pensioner, so we also have that as a source of income.

“But her army pension money has become the sole source of income for us since the MCO as I couldn’t find many daily jobs.

“That’s why we’re grateful for receiving this house. At least we don’t have to worry about paying rent anymore.”

Meanwhile, 43-year-old Foo Huey Kuang from the Beringin’s PPR was relieved and grateful to learn that the house that she and her family rented for the past 15 years is now officially theirs.

Foo and her husband, Lau Cheong Meng, 62, are both persons with disabilities as Foo has been suffering from a stroke since she was 19 while her husband was diagnosed with Poliomyelitis since he was young.

Both of them would sell newspapers at the morning market in order to put food on the table.

From the newspaper selling business along with welfare assistance, they would usually earn around RM600 to RM800 monthly which they used to cover their living cost and to support their 16-year-old daughter who was born with a heart condition.

“When the DBKL officer came to our home recently, they helped fix our ceiling fan and lights. They also asked us if there was anything else we needed which I answered with a request if we can be exempted from paying rent.

“We were dumbstruck after learning that the home that we’ve been renting for the last 15 years is now ours.

“With this help, we won’t have to worry about rent or getting kicked out anymore and we can even save our ‘rent money’ to fix our home. We’re truly grateful to TNB,” Foo said.

The TNB Baiti Jannati Keluarga Malaysia 2021 event was attended by the Federal Territories Minister, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim.

Shahidan revealed that there are over 3,000 families listed under the housing programme for the hardcore poor (PPRT) and they will continue to help these families.

“The urban poor issue in this state is serious. We need to help them through aids and houses which they could not afford by themselves.

“I’m confident with the collaboration from multiple organisations, the goal to have zero hardcore poor next year could be accomplished.”

Apart from the Baiti Jannati programme, TNB also contributes to other CSR programmes such as in education.

Through the Yayasan Tenaga Nasional (YTN), TNB has spent over RM1.2 billion in scholarships and variable loans to help over 18,000 students in Malaysia since 1993.

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