HOW ARE YOU?: Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg greeting Kota Sentosa assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen (right) in the media room before conducting a press conference yesterday. Also seen are his assistant ministers Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah (left) and Datuk Francis Harden Hollis.
THE Housing Ministry is taking proactive measures to reduce the incident of problematic developers in the state, says its minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said among the initial steps taken by his ministry was to issue compound to developers who breached the Housing Developers (Control and Licensing) Ordinance 1993.
“Until the third quarter of this year, a total of 93 compounds worth RM407,500 were issued for offences which included two cases of implementation of housing projects without housing developer’s licence, 59 cases of failure to renew housing developer’s licence and 32 cases of failure to submit project progress report,” he said in his winding up speech.
“The steps taken will indirectly reduce the incidents of problematic private housing projects and help to protect the interests of the house buyers,” Abang Johari said.
On another matter, he said that in the first 10 months of this year, the State House Buyers Tribunal had received 35 claims.
“Of the number, 26 cases were classified in the jurisdiction of the tribunal – 15 cases related to defective workmanship, two cases of late delivery of vacant possession and nine cases of failure to follow the specifications specified in sales and purchase agreement,” he said, adding that from the 26 cases, 12 cases had been solved.
Seven of the cases were solved in the Tribunal Court (five in Kuching and two in Miri) with compensation money amounting to RM63,000 while the five cases were solved through negotiation between the developers and buyers.
“Six cases were withdrawn by the complainants and the remaining eight cases have either been given response for further actions by the tribunal or awaiting the complainants to file their cases”, he added.
“The remaining nine cases (from 35) failed because they were outside the jurisdiction of the tribunal. However, we will still provide assistance such as giving advice and referring the complainants to the right parties for their cases to be solved.
“Since the operation of House Buyers Tribunal in May 2010, all cases related to the dissatisfaction of the house buyers have been heard, judged and solved at the Tribunal Court by putting into consideration the interests and rights of the house buyers,” he added.