Commentary by Alan Poon
Having spent many years observing Malaysia's property and built-environment sector as a property educator, industry practitioner, commentator and professional technologist, I have learned that the performance of a housing minister should not be judged by political rhetoric alone.
It should be judged by what actually happens on the ground. And on that basis, I believe the tenure of Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming deserves recognition. This is not about political affiliation, race or ideology. In fact, I believe that is precisely why the discussion should be separated from politics.
Malaysia's housing challenges did not begin with the present administration and they will certainly not end with it. Ministers before Nga, including the late Tan Sri Ting Chew Peh and those who subsequently held the portfolio, contributed to building the institutions and policies that exist today.
Good governance is therefore not about claiming that one minister invented everything. It is about whether the minister takes what he inherits and makes it work better. That is where I see a significant difference in the current KPKT approach.
The most obvious example is the handling of abandoned and sick housing projects. Thousands of ordinary Malaysians have spent years paying for homes they could not occupy. Since the minister assumed his role in December 2022, KPKT's reported recovery of more than 1,600 troubled private housing projects involving over 192,000 units and RM153 billion in GDV by the end of June 2026 is therefore more than a statistic.
Behind every number is a family, a mortgage and a dream of owning a home. That, to me, is what government execution should mean. There has also been substantial progress in affordable housing delivery, local-government infrastructure, community projects and housing dispute resolution. KPKT reported that 511,544 affordable housing units had been delivered or were in various stages, surpassing the RMK-12 target, while its Housing and Strata Management Tribunal recorded an exceptionally high case-resolution rate.
These may not always make spectacular headlines but they matter enormously to ordinary Malaysians. What I find particularly encouraging is that the ministry's agenda appears to be moving beyond simply building more houses. The conversation is increasingly about liveable and lovable cities.
Green public housing, solar energy, rainwater harvesting, industrialised building systems, waste-to-energy, digital housing administration and stronger protection for homebuyers all point towards a more integrated understanding of the built environment. That is important because a house does not exist in isolation. A home depends on roads, drainage, public transport, waste management, energy, employment, schools, healthcare and the quality of the surrounding community.
In other words, housing policy is ultimately city policy—and city policy is economic policy. I have also been encouraged by the ministry's willingness to engage professional institutions and the industry. The recognition given to Nga by the Malaysian Institute of Architects through its 2026 President's Award is noteworthy because it reflects engagement beyond the political arena.
But I would not argue that everything is perfect. Housing affordability remains a serious challenge. Supply and demand are still mismatched in many locations. Having a large number of units planned or constructed does not automatically mean that Malaysians can afford them.
The next challenge is therefore to move from measuring how many homes we build to understanding who can afford them, where they are located, how people commute to work and whether those homes remain affordable throughout the household's lifecycle.
This is where the next phase of housing reform becomes critical. I also believe we should give credit where it is due without turning credit into political worship. Nga did not create Malaysia's housing institutions. He inherited them.
But leadership should be measured by what a minister does with that inheritance. If projects are revived, buyers protected, infrastructure delivered, digital systems improved and sustainability embedded into future housing policy, those outcomes deserve acknowledgement.
At the same time, every minister should be held to the same standard of accountability. That is why my support for recognising KPKT's performance is not unconditional. It is an observation from someone who has spent years watching the Malaysian property industry evolve.
The property industry does not need more hype. It needs better policy, better data, better execution and greater trust between government, developers and homebuyers. Perhaps that is ultimately the most important test for Nga Kor Ming and KPKT. Not whether they can claim to be the best. But whether they can leave behind a housing and local-government system that the next minister can inherit—and make even better.
If that happens, then the real achievement will not belong to one minister or one political party. It will belong to Malaysia. And for me, that is the kind of political continuity and public-service performance worth recognising. Because governments change, ministers change and political narratives change but the homes we build and the cities we leave behind will remain long after all of us have moved on.
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