New cert has bite: Ka Ting
THE SUN 10/9/2004

KUALA LUMPUR: The move to replace the Certificate of Fitness (CF) with the Certificate of Compliance and Completion (CCC), does not mean the current strict procedures involved would be relaxed.

It also does not mean that the new system would lead to abuse, nor would housebuyers' interests be neglected, said Housing and Local Government Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting.

"The new system will reduce bureaucracy while ensuring all regulations are adhered to," he said yesterday at the Parliament lobby.

Earlier, Ong in reply to a supplementary question from Hamim Samuri (BN-Ledang) said a professional found in breach of these laws could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined RM500,000, under the Uniform Building By-laws under the street, Drainage and Building Act.

To the original question from Hasni Mohamad (BN-Pontian), Ong said a series of discussions are being held with professional bodies such as the Board of Engineers Malaysia, the Malaysian Institute Architects and the Malaysian Institute of Engineers, the Real Estate and Housing Developers Association, the National House Buyers' Association, technical agencies and the relevant government bodies.

"Whatever changes or amendments are made to the industry must be healthy and it must continue to appeal to investors, whether domestic or foreign," he said.

Ong also said that the government would blacklist property developers, together with their board of directors for their respective abandoned housing projects, as well as for leaving housebuyers in the lurch.

Ong said his ministry was also looking at ways to stop blacklisted directors from using proxies to apply for new property development licences. He said this to a supplementary question from Datuk Badruddin Amiruddin (BN-Jerai).

"The ministry is also studying the possibility of including major shareholders of these companies in our blacklist," he said.

Ong said the Government may soon make it mandatory, for those applying for new licences to declare they were not doing so on behalf of another party.

He said housing developers also risk being blacklisted if they went against the decision of the Tribunal for Homebuyers' Claims.

He also said from l990 until June this year, the Government had approved the construction of 10,553 housing projects.

"Out of 10,553 projects, 199 were later abandoned. This is only a fraction of the number of projects we approved. "However, 77 of these stalled projects have been revived. From the remaining 122 projects, eight have been deemed not suitable for revival while 15 have been taken over by other developers."