| Solve
CF issue at the root
09/05/1999 NST Editorial Voice
A spontaneous reaction to last Friday's headline "Bylaw to
ensure CF in two weeks" is that we have heard it all before. Indeed, we have.
Come January 10, it will be exactly four years since the enforcement of the
Cabinet ruling that all local authorities issue the certificate of fitness within
14 days once a building meets all structural and legal requirements.
But from the unending complaints of long delays, it is obvious
that adherence to the directive by many local authorities leaves much to be
desired. There are moves to amend the Uniform Building BY-Laws 1984 to secure
compliance by the local authorities and streamline procedures.
Some 10 months ago, the Housing and Local Government Ministry
announced the proposals and last week it revealed that the National Council
for Local Government will meet next month to approve the amendments. Sanguinely,
within a year, the legislation will be in place.
In tackling the perennial delays in the issuance of CFs,
it is crucial that the ministry and the local authorities understand the problems
faced by both housebuyers and developers. More rules without solving the existing
problems which are the bottlenecks, will only mean more bureaucratic red tape
and delays. At a cursory glance, the two significant amendments to the building
bylaws are excellent provisions which will solve the problems hitherto faced
by developers and buyers.
But things are not always as simple as they appear. One states
that CF s will be deemed issued in two weeks from the date developers submit
applications to local authorities even though the latter do not issue them.
The other amendment makes it mandatory for developers to get the CF before handing
over vacant possession to buyers.
As rightly pointed out by a developer who wrote in recently
to the New Straits Times, the issuance of CFs is a complex problem which
should be tackled from the root. To achieve this, the whole issuance machinery
has to be revamped and streamlined, including the technical departments and
agencies involved. The ministry holds a simplistic view that the problems will
be solved now that the applying procedure has been tightened. Developers have
a statutory duty to get approval from the relevant technical departments and
agencies prior to submitting their applications.
The crux of the problem is getting quick approval from the
vetting departments. Stories of developers given the runaround and made to wait
long for inspections of their completed works abound. This cannot be allowed
to go on. Procedures should be greatly simplified. An intricate set of procedures
is unnecessary as the buildings are built according to approved plans and their
due completion certified by professionals.
That some local authorities are withholding issuance of CFs
for housing projects on non-technical grounds, such as meeting the 30 per cent
low-cost housing quota, payment of the sewerage capital contribution charge
and even clogged drains, shows blatant defiance of the federal directive. This
is inexcusable as it is irresponsible for it has been made clear to State Governments
and local authorities from the outset that any other conditions outside the
stipulated requirements are irrelevant.
It is important that in tackling the problems connected with
the issuance of the CFs, all parties involved take cognizance of the fact that
the fault does not lie with just the developers but also the local authorities.
It is easy to put the blame on developers. The causes of delay are many and
often beyond the control of the developer. New conditions and additional local
requirements imposed after the project has been completed is a classic
case in point.
The forthcoming meeting of the National Council for Local
Government would have seriously failed in its duty if it does not take the opportunity
to discuss the whole problem pertaining to quick issuance of CF's and come forth
with effectual solutions to resolve it once and for all.
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