Solid reasons for 'build-and-sell' concept

Solid reasons for ‘build-and-sell’ concept
NST 28/05/2004

THE comments by Yin Ee Kiong of Ipoh and A.R.O. of Kuala Lumpur (NST, May 26) reflect the views of thousands of unhappy housebuyers who have been cheated by dishonest and errant developers. It is no wonder that the president of the Housing Developers Associations has so very quickly come out so strongly against our Prime Minister's proposal of implementing a "build and sell'' concept.

It is indeed shocking for him to press the panic button that this policy will cause social and economic chaos to the country.

Not surprisingly, even the Ministry of Housing has come to the defence of the developers.

The truth is that, all the so-called social and economic chaos as claimed by the Rehda's president Jeffery Ng are due largely to the thousands of failed and abandoned housing projects in the country, resulting in loss of millions of ringgit by innocent housebuyers as well as non-payment of bills owed by these unscrupulous developers to contractors and suppliers of building materials. The "sales before building'' policy can be used by the weak and dishonest developers to cheat housebuyers.

If there is a poor demand for a project, the developer can simply say that he does not have the money to continue and the innocent housebuyers are left high and dry after putting in substantial sum of their savings into deposits.

ANDREW WAN
Kuala Lumpur