House buyer's interest comes first

NST 16/09/2003 By A..L

THE swift action of the Attorney -General in submitting an appeal four days after the High Court judge ruled in favor of housing developers against the Housing Tribunal is highly commendable.

The affected house buyers are hopeful that the momentum will not be lost in pursuing a speedy solution to their predicament caused by ambiguity in the powers of the tribunal.

This gives rise to questioning Parliament's intentions behind the existence of the tribunal.

Surely it can be without doubt that Parliament would have wanted to protect house buyers from unscrupulous developers.

Therefore, based on this premise, the spirit of the law and morality, developers should comply with decisions of the tribunal, irrespective of when the tribunal came into being.

The cut-off date of Dec 1, 2002 (when the tribunal was formed) should not matter in the interest of fairness and justice. The tribunal is a mere alternative forum to seek justice. The fundamental laws still apply. A breach of contract is a breach of contract!

Why deprive poor house buyers of this new and efficient way to receive what is rightfully theirs? For many it is their first property in setting up home and funds are limited. They are not asking for anything more than what is rightfully theirs.

The past few months have seen a waste of money and time for all concerned and emotionally draining as well. Let's hope a fast and speedy solution can be reached even if it means reverting to Parliament to button down all ambiguities.