KUALA LUMPUR, November 10, 2026 – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said that progress in the construction industry must be felt by the people, especially through the provision of affordable homes, as he opened International Construction Week (ICW) and BuildXpo Malaysia 2026 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC).
In a long post shared on X on Tuesday afternoon, Anwar wrote in Malay that he had stressed the point at the opening ceremony earlier in the day. He said the industry’s advancement should not be measured only by buildings and projects, but by whether ordinary Malaysians benefit from them.
Affordable housing targets
Anwar said that under the Thirteenth Malaysia Plan, the government is aiming for 500,000 affordable homes by 2030. He described the goal as part of a wider national target of one million affordable homes by 2035.
Mainstream media reports on his speech quoted him as saying the one-million aspiration covers the period from 2026 to 2035. They also reported that he wanted technology to help deliver homes more efficiently without compromising safety, quality and liveability, and that he added cost to that list.
Development, environment and local identity
The Prime Minister said development must be balanced with protection of the environment. He called for priority to be given to the quality of building materials, and for building designs that are beautiful and reflect local identity.
He warned of the consequences of ignoring these considerations. In his words, what would be built in the end is merely a “concrete jungle” that contributes to the erosion of peace in nature and sacrifices well-being and humanity.
According to Bernama’s report on the keynote address, Anwar also cautioned that mega projects with no relevance to the welfare of the majority would only invite frustration and resentment. The agency reported that he said Kuala Lumpur should not be modelled on cities such as London or New York, because the climate, environment and priorities differ.
3D concrete printing and local capability
Anwar said he welcomed efforts by the Ministry of Works and the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) to explore 3D concrete printing technology. He said collaboration with industry must open the way for technology transfer, knowledge sharing and training for the local workforce and contractors.
“I want them to master this technology and be able to develop it themselves according to the needs of the country, Insya-Allah,” he wrote, using the Malay phrase for “God willing”.
The theme of local capability was echoed in his speech. The Star reported that he said Malaysia must move beyond importing and adopting foreign construction technologies towards developing, manufacturing and eventually exporting its own innovations. He was also reported as saying that Malaysian companies should be active participants in the development, production and commercialisation of modular construction technology, not merely users of it.
Reports said the modular construction roadmap would need to be backed by stronger domestic manufacturing capabilities, investment, market demand, skilled talent and an enabling policy and regulatory environment.
What it means
The remarks link two themes the government has been promoting: delivering affordable housing at scale, and building up homegrown construction technology so that Malaysian firms and workers are not left dependent on imports. Anwar framed both as tests of whether the industry’s transformation delivers tangible benefits to the rakyat.
Life News Agency is reporting Anwar’s remarks from his own X post, supplemented by published reports of his speech, and has not independently verified the housing targets beyond what he and those reports stated. He closed his post with the hashtags #MalaysiaMADANI and #YakinMADANI.
Source: https://x.com/anwaribrahim/status/2120038843281973472
Credit : Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s X
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