by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang,in Petaling Jaya, on Saturday, 7th March 1992:
Ting Chow Peh is only helping the housing developers at the expense of the house buyers in his warning that house-buyers given keys of houses but not CFs will be committing an offence if they move into the houses.
In the past few days, the Minister for Housing and Local Government, Dr. Ting Chew Peh, has created utter confusion, uncertainty and anxiety among the ordinary house-buyers with his warning to house buyers that they, would be committing an offence if they move into houses, although the keys to the houses have been handed to them by the housing developer, but without CFs.
The housing buyers have a right to ask the Housing Minister whether he is helping the housing developers or the ordinary house buyers. It is now clear that the standard sales and purchase agreement formulated by the Housing Ministry protects the housing developer at the expense of the house buyers.
As Housing Minister, Ting Chew Peh should know that the handing of keys to a purchaser constitute the delivery of the complet¬ed house, and this means that the developer has fulfilled his part of the agreement to deliver the house within the stipulated period, and as such a house buyer cannot claim compensation for late delivery.
But what is the use of the handing of keys if this is not accompanied by CFs, as Ting Chew Peh is now saying that the house-buyer should not move into such houses regardless of the financial burdens this cause to the house-buyers.
Are the house-buyers to accept the keys of the houses, signifying that the housing developer has completed his terms of the agreement, and allow the houses to be vacant for a few years while the CFs are processed by the local authorities?
It would appear that Ting Chew Peh is helping the housing developers to evade, their legal responsibility, which is to hand over a house which could be occupied immediately. Instead of warning housing developers of their irresponsibility, the Minister of Housing has instead warned house-buyers that the local authorities could act against them if they move into such houses! Ting Chew Peh, is also covering up for the inefficiency of the local authorities in giving speedy CFs.
Ting Chew Peh should decide whether as Housing Minister, his job is to cut through the frustrating maze of problems faced by a house purchaser or to enable housing developers to evade their legal commitments by handing over keys without the CFs to the purchaser.