Housing Development Department (HDD)

The mission of the Housing Development Department (HDD), which has a long history (1906 and thereafter & got its current name back in 1984), is to “Provide quality and affordable housing facilities for eligible citizens of Brunei Darussalam".

By January 2005, according HDD statistics, 7448 houses and land lots nationwide under NHS were handed over to the applicants. There are more than 41 000 people nationwide who have applied for the housing scheme since 1980 until 2004, and from those total, 29,382 applicants (72%) were from the Brunei Muara District.

With the current level of development, there seemed to be no end insight for tens of thousands of people who applied for the housing. This is because the time taken for the houses to be built is so long. Whose fault is that? Is it the land department which cant allocate the land or is it the HDD which is slow and unable to manage such huge requested. Or is it the public?

It has long been argued that it’s the people who got the houses in the early days of the housing scheme back in the 1980s who made the government “tawar hati” as recipients failed to pay back the government the amount due. Somehow, the population seemed to think the houses given are free… Well, its not.. someone gotta pay. Government contract it out for private contractors to built it but the people have the obligation to pay at a discounted price, payable for a long period of time for the house. Thank God, the government don’t sell cars, if not everyone would think that the cars are for free after paying the initial deposit!

There are incidents where neighbors deliberately make their land larger and “curi” the land hence making their neighbors angry and complained to the HDD, but I heard HDD cant do much on that...

When government started the "EXPO" schemes, people who have the money can get their houses fasters, some members of the public got jealous and complained and the project was stopped. But once that stopped, now everyone seemed to depend on HDD to build more and build faster and HDD is UNABLE to do that. With a budget of just $12.2million this year, what can the HDD do and with no many paying the fees, how do the public expect the government to build more? Ever heard the word "Jara"?

I think the government should just restart the EXPO again so that those who can pay for the house should be given priority than those who cant. This will teach those whose "cradle to grave" mentality a lesson. But at the same time, the hardcore poor should be high priority as well (but this will be taken care of by Yayasan Sultan HHB).

Some housing schemes areas which are already leveled off, but there are still no houses are built. Some places which are have already houses huilt, but no infrastructure (roads or lights) were made, hence no one can get the houses. Why such haphazard way of development?

Is it high time that the housing board be corportized and possibly allow the private sector to develop and sell the houses, depending on some agreement, as happened in Malaysia – like the ones we see in Miri, Sarawak. How about the Singapore example where the HDB built and sell the house? There no one can get any houses for free and without paying and the fact that a maintenance fee is paid every month by the house owner, it makes the surrounding area beautiful and always well-maintained and kept. This is in SHARP contrast on Brunei's housing scheme, where the public expect the govt to pay for cutting grass.... Belabih jua orang tinggal d perpindahan ani ehh.....

If no new “radical” policies are made, then we have to wait possibly more than 20 years before those 40,000 people are housed.... if they are lucky. Evidance of the HDD not doing much... try to call the Department, and no one will pick it up... what is that Department doing? hmmm....