A ROOF over the head, a shirt on the back, food on the table
and access to healthcare and education are among the basic needs of a citizen
that a government is responsible for, and these needs have generally been taken
care of all these years.
In the case of the roof over your head, the government has
since the 1970s been actively working together with the private sector to
promote home ownership. Since that time, government efforts have been sullied by
some housing developers and it is not just the occasional lapses. The national
House Buyers Association has a list of complaints made to it, ranging from
non-issuance of strata titles, poor management and maintenance, shoddy
workmanship and, perhaps worst of all, abandonment of housing projects. In 2006,
of the 245 projects involving 38,744 house buyers, 30 per cent of the complaints
involved non-issuance of strata titles, 24 per cent were on management and
maintenance, and 14 per cent on abandoned projects.
Abandoned projects are emotionally and financially draining; financially because
not only has he to repay the bank for the money it has released to the
irresponsible developer on the poor owner's behalf, but also the rent and other
costs of his present accommodation. According to the Ministry of Housing and
Local Government, a total of 261 housing projects, involving 88,410 houses and
flats, were abandoned between 1990 and 2005, with the properties valued at over
RM8 billion. Universiti Utara Malaysia don Nuarrual Hilal Md Dahlan says the
figures would be higher if they include some of the abandoned projects not
listed in the ministry's list or those where the project files have been closed.
The ministry also does not take into account projects undertaken by independent
contractors, cooperatives and others who are not under the purview of the
Housing Development Act, and the housing projects abandoned in Sabah and
Sarawak.
Downright embezzlement of progress payment collections, disputes among
shareholders and problems involving contractors and disagreements with
landowners were among the reasons for the projects being abandoned. The
build-and-sell concept, as practised in New South Wales in Australia and
Singapore, could be the solution but while the government decides on this, it
could in the meantime listen to some of the suggestions of the people who
matter. The House Buyers Association wants a "bill of rights for home owners".
This reflects the genuine concern of home owners, often borne by hard
experience. They will be listing their woes this Saturday. The government should
listen.
2012 Hotel Corporate Rates Attending seminars? Going for a holiday? Click on the link above to check out the list of hotel corporate rates for Members of the Bar, which is updated regularly.
Talk on Intellectual Property Law (10 Feb 2012) Organised by the Selangor Bar Committee, the talk on “Intellectual Property Law” will take place at 5:00 pm, at the Selangor Bar Committee Auditorium, on 10 Feb 2012 (Friday). The talk will feature Bahari Yeow Tien Hong. Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on the Fundamentals of Bankruptcy Proceedings (21 Feb 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, the seminar on “The Fundamentals of Bankruptcy Proceedings”, featuring Sanjeev Kumar Rasiah, will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 21 Feb 2012 (Tuesday). Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on the Fundamentals of Conveyancing (24 Feb 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, this seminar featuring Jeremiah R Gurusamy will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 24 Feb 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Mediation Skills Training Course (29 Feb to 4 Mar 2012) Organised by Bar Council, the Mediation Skills Training Course will take place at 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, at Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, Bar Council, on 29 Feb to 4 Mar 2012 (Wednesday to Sunday). Deadline for registration and payment is 17 Feb 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Talk on “Land Fraud: An Australian Perspective” (13 Mar 2012) Organised by IGIL, GSGSG and UUM COLGIS, this free talk featuring Quintin George Rozario of Delta Law, Brisbane, Australia, will take place at 9:00 am, at Dewan Seminar A, Pusat Konvensyen, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Kedah, on 13 Mar 2012 (Tuesday). To RSVP, contact Mr Abutt (04-928 4397; abutt@uum.edu.my).
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Circular No 023/2012: Talk on ISO 9001 | 2008 Quality Management System Certification
