Good response to tribunal
21/08/2007 The Star

KOTA KINABALU: A deluge of housing woes poured into the Sabah House Buyers Claims Tribunal immediately after it was launched yesterday.

Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman said there were a large number of people seeking redress.

“I believe the launching of this tribunal is timely,” he said at a simple ceremony to launch the tribunal at the state assembly banquet hall here.

A total of 2,812 cases were registered on the first day of the tribunal, which is headed by state Local Government and Housing Ministry legal adviser Ahmad Sedik.


Official launch: Musa activating a computer to symbolise the launching of the House Buyers Claims Tribunal in the State Legislative Building in Kota Kinabalu on Monday. With him is Hajiji (left).
The minister, Datuk Hajiji Noor, was present.

“We hope the tribunal will mete out justice to each complainant,” said Musa, adding that it was not set up to create difficulties but to help buyers resolve their problems with the respective developers.

“With such a tribunal, our construction industry can move forward,” he said.

Musa welcomed Ahmad’s appointment as president of the tribunal, saying that the legal adviser had 16 years of experience in assisting housebuyers in resolving problems with developers.

Later, Hajiji told reporters that the tribunal would be using the same regulations used by a similar tribunal in Kuala Lumpur.

“We have, however, modified a bit of the rules to make it easier for rural people,” he said, adding that registrars for the tribunal have been drawn from the staff of the local councils so that it can hear cases in districts outside Kota Kinabalu.

“This means that complainants need not come to Kota Kinabalu to register the case and can do so at the respective districts,” he added.