HM Sultan Brunei Gives Away 594 Houses

Waqiuddin Rajak, Sally Piri and Ak Khairuddin Pg Harun
TUTONG

Sunday, March 1, 2015

HIS Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, presented land grants and house keys to 594 recipients under the Bukit Beruang National Housing Scheme in Tutong yesterday.

The handing over ceremony was held at the Ma’had Islam Brunei.

Saifullizan has been living in the housing facility provided at the Lumut Primary School.

Upon receiving his new house in Tutong, the 43-year-old is now looking at enrolling his four children to schools nearby the area as they are currently still studying in a school in Kuala Belait.

“With the new house, besides from it being comfortable, I am also a lot closer to my family members who mostly live in Kg Kiudang,” he said.

“Furthermore, it is now easier for us as we only have to spend on renovation because the payment of the house is very affordable.

“InsyaAllah when I have completed my children’s transfer of schools from Kuala Belait to Tutong, I will then permanently move to this new home,” he added.

Sharing the same sentiment was 43-year-old Ramri Nona who said that he had submitted his application in 1999.

Ramri said that his new house is much more comfortable compared to the government apartments he used to rent.

He also said that he is due to move to his new house soon after completing the paperwork to transfer his eight children – the eldest 17 years old and youngest three years old – from a school in Brunei-Muara to Tutong.

Mohammad Zin Hj Nudin, a 40-year-old office assistant at the Ministry of Health who had been waiting since 2001, said that the terrace house he received is more than enough for his family of five.

He also said he felt closer to his family now since most of his relatives are living in Kg Lamunin in Tutong.

Jaliah Serudin, a retired civil servant, said that she was very grateful for the three-bedroom terrace house gifted to her by His Majesty.

She received the house after a long wait of 30 years.

She said she submitted her application in 1985.

Meanwhile, Alli Noor Hj Md Suhaili, a recipient of a plot of land at the Kg Bukit Beruang National Housing Scheme said he was honoured to have His Majesty visit his house.

The 50-year-old government official was allowed to develop his house on the 0.338 hectare plot of land in 2010 and yesterday was the official land handing over ceremony.

Alli Noor was thankful for the plot of land because it allowed him to only spend one-third of his salary to pay up his housing loan of $134,000.

Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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Waqiuddin Rajak, Sally Piri and Ak Khairuddin Pg Harun
TUTONG

Sunday, March 1, 2015

HIS Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, presented land grants and house keys to 594 recipients under the Bukit Beruang National Housing Scheme in Tutong yesterday.

The handing over ceremony was held at the Ma’had Islam Brunei.

The Bukit Beruang National Housing Scheme comprises 1,500 housing units. The units cost over $140 million to build and were ready in March last year. They were built by the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB).

Of the 1,500 units, 1,000 are terrace houses and the rest are semi-detached units.

The completed units were handed over to the Ministry of Development in May 2014.

Terrace houses comprise three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and two bathrooms, while the semi-detached houses have an additional bathroom.

Accompanying the monarch were Minister of Development Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman and Minister of Home Affairs Yang Berhormat Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Hj Awang Badaruddin Pengarah Hj Othman.

Following the ceremony, His Majesty toured Ma’had Islam Brunei which houses a total of 647 students.

After visiting some of the school’s facilities, His Majesty then stopped by Hana Soy & World Sdn Bhd, where he observed the processing of the Hana Suku-Suku Soy drinks.

Hana Soy & World Sdn Bhd Vice-President Wan Krisnizaha Hj Osman said that His Majesty was impressed by the local soy factory’s workforce 90 per cent of whom are locals.

The total number of employees is 22, of whom, 19 are locals. The factory can produce 40,000 soy drinks a month, the company vice-president said.

His Majesty then proceeded to visit the Perpindahan Kg Bukit Beruang II Primary School where he toured some of the classrooms, the pre-school studies area and the school’s library.

In one of the classrooms, students demonstrated how tablet devices are used to learn the Jawi alphabet. Students scribbled shapes on the devices which later formed themselves into letters, which were then identified by the students. A total of 186 students are enrolled in the primary school which offers education from the pre-school level to Year 6.

The Monarch was received at the school by Headmistress Hjh Nurul Inani Hj Ahmad Kumpoh.

His Majesty also visited the house of the head of Kg Bukit Beruang, Ahmad Aman, before stopping by at some of the new houses under the national housing scheme.

The residents of the new semi-detached and terrace houses greeted His Majesty with smiles, and took pictures with him before inviting him to visit their houses.

Speaking to reporters, His Majesty expressed satisfaction with the implementation of the housing development under the National Housing Scheme.

“I think they are doing well, I am very happy,” His Majesty said, concluding his visit to the housing areas in Kg Bukit Beruang yesterday.

Courtesy of The Brunei Times