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KUCHING, July 12: Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian who is the Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government has the absolute authority in dealing with the problems faced by house purchasers, including delays in the completion of houses and issuance of land titles.
This is according to Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen who believed that Dr Sim should better protect house purchasers in Sarawak rather than give excuses for inaction through his party subordinate Kho Teck Wan who is Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Women chief.
“The State law governing matters on housing development is the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Ordinance, 2013.
“Section 27 of the Ordinance provides that in cases where a developer is carrying on his business in a manner detrimental to the interest of his purchaser, the Minister has the power to direct the errant housing developer to complete his project and even direct another housing developer to take over and assume control of the housing project in question with a view to completing the housing project,” said Chong in a press statement today.
He said any house purchaser after buying a house almost 20 years ago but yet to get the house title is not getting their interests protected.
Chong asserted a developer doing such a thing to his customers is actually “carrying on his business in a manner detrimental to the interest of his purchasers”.
“When this matter is brought up by me in the press for the attention of Dr Sim, the SUPP’s first response is not to solve the problem, but to shirk responsibility. That is the act of a most irresponsible government,” said Chong who is Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) chairman.
He pointed out that in contrast, when DAP’s Nga Kor Ming was appointed the Federal Minister of Housing, one of his first tasks was to revive all abandoned projects throughout the country, except in Sarawak which his ministry has no such jurisdiction over.
“My call to the GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) State Government is that, if this SUPP minister can’t do a proper job as a Housing Minister to protect the interest of common house purchasers, he ought to be replaced,” said Chong who is also Stampin MP. — DayakDaily
