(Dewan Rakyat, Thursday): In May 1997, during the debate on the Rent Control (Repeal) Bill, I had moved an amendment during the Committee Stage seeking to extend the 28-month transition period for the repeal of the Rent Control Act 1966 to five years. Unfortunately, this amendment was opposed by the Barisan Nasional MPs, in particular those from the MCA and Gerakan, with the Gerakan MP for Bukit Bendera, Chia Kwang Thye leading the attack on the amendment, using the Chinese phrase "Digging for bones in an egg" in dismissing discussion in Parliament of the socio-economic hardships faced by tenants of pre-war premises as a result of decontrol.
I had subsequently expressed my shock at such Gerakan attitude which showed a total lack of seriousness and sincerity in trying to understand and resolve the socio-economic hardships that would be caused to the poor who would be uprooted and dislocated by an ill-planned repeal of the Rent Control Act.
I had asked if the Gerakan Parliamentary spokesman on the Rent Control (Repeal) Bill could be so unsympathetic and irresponsible with regard to the socio-economic hardships faced by the poor in the decontrol of pre-war premises, then the people of Penang, with the most pre-war premises in the country, must ask whether they could trust the Penang State Government to ensure that no one would suffer any socio-economic hardships in the rent decontrol process.
During the debate on my amendment to extend the 28-month transition period for rent decontrol to five years, one Barisan Nasional MP posed the question when expressing his opposition to my amendment: "Siapa yang ta’ mahu duduk percuma?".
Such a question was most insulting to the poor living in the pre-war premises, as the poor were regarded as parasites who sponge on the landlords by "duduk percuma" in the rent control premises - an attitude which seemed prevalent among Barisan Nasiohnal MPs. This was and is a travesty of the truth, for nobody "duduk percuma" in the rent control premises!
DAP supports the decontrol of pre-war premises but the government must ensure that the repeal of the Rent Control Act in Penang and other parts of the country is carried out fairly and justly to all parties concerned, in particular the poorer sections of our society.
During the debate in Parliament, I had suggested that the Federal and State Governments should recognise a Charter for the tenants of pre-war premises comprising three principles and five measures.
The three principles are:
The five measures are:
The DAP’s call for a Charter for the tenants of pre-war premises comprising three principles and five measures have been proved prescient, for in a recent survey of 1,100 households in pre-war premises in Georgetown in February this year, 96.7 per cent of those surveyed appealed for the transition period for rent decontrol to be extended for five years from 1st January 2000 to 1st January 2005 as the Penang State government is not ready with alternative housing for the relocation of the affected people. It is also clear that the Penang State Government would not have the alternative affordable housing for all the affected pre-war residents when the Rent Decontrol Act is fully implemented by the end of this year.
The request of the people of Georgetown for an extension of the transition period for rent decontrol on socio-economic grounds should be given serious consideration by both the Federal and Penang State Governments.
For this reason, I would urge the Housing Minister, Datuk Dr.
Ting Chew Peh to introduce an amendment bill during the current meeting
of Parliament to provide for a five-year extension for the transition period
for the decontrol of pre-war premises, and I hope that for a start, the
Gerakan and MCA MPs would come forward to express their support for a five-year
extension of the Rent Control (Repeal) Act.
DAP calls on Housing Minister to set up a special committee
to look into numerous problems in the housing projects in Penang
I also wish to call on the Housing Minister to set up a special committee to look into numerous problems faced by house buyers in housing projects in the Penang state.
DAP Penang foresees that more housing projects will face problems like Taman Terubong Indah of Majestic Heights Sdn. Bhd. in Paya Terubong and Perangin Mall in Penang where both developers are unable to deliver housing units and shop lots according to the scheduled dates.
In addition, there are at least five low-medium cost housing projects facing OC problem including a one-block flats at Jalan Telaga in Butterworth which could not obtain OC due to a legal tussle with the Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Prai (MPSP).
Purchasers of these problematic projects face great financial burden because they have to pay rental as well as service house loan interests particularly those from the low income group. In these circumstances, purchasers who are tenants of rent control premises find difficulties in securing alternative housing or business premises when the act is repealed at the end of December this year.
The delay in the Prangin Mall project will also affect economic recovery in the state.
Providing housing is a social responsibility of the government. The Housing Ministry must play a more effective role in ensuring that all housing projects, especially the privatised low-medium cost projects, are completed according to schedule.
The Ministry of Housing should also look into loopholes in the current laws governing the housing industry that are unfavourable or unfair to the purchasers.
In this connection, I want to ask the Housing Minister what his Ministry had done to resolve the problems faced by some 3,000 house buyers of Majestic Heights housing project at Taman Paya Terubong.
The project consists of 4 phases. The first phase was launched in December 1994. It has a total of 1,557 units priced between RM69,900 to RM79,9000. The second phase has 380 units priced between RM79,000 to RM89,000. The third phase has 540 units priced between RM128,000 to RM149,000. The fourth phase consists of 252 units of RM25,000 low-cost housing, 208 units of RM69,000 housing, 126 units of RM59,000 low-medium cost housing and 20 shop-lots.
The first phase project was launched in December 1994 and was scheduled to be completed by December 1997. However, the buyers obtained vacant possession by batches from May 1998. House buyers are angry that till today the developer has yet to apply OC and they are thus unable to live in their houses.
The second phase buyers face the same problem when they were told to collect their house keys in January this year. In addition, they were shocked to find that work in most of the units are yet to finished. For example one of the blocks is still without a lift.
The third phase buyers were scheduled to get vacant possession in March this year but the project is only 35% complete.
Many of the phase four buyers are tenants of rent control premises.
The phase one and two buyers are now doubly burdened by rental and house loan repayments. The problem of all four phases of house buyers of Taman Majestic Heights have been brought to the attention of the Minister of Housing, who should inform Parliament how these problems are being resolved.
Although the Housing Minister, Datuk Ting Chew Peh said in Penang on 13th March 1999 that he would direct his officers to investigate into the plight of Majestic Heights buyers within a week, nothing had achieved by his officials although about four weeks have passed. Is the Housing Ministry a mere paper tiger?
In view of the fact that some 3,000 housing units are involved, I would call on the Housing Minister to personally visit the housing project to see the gravity and variety of the problems faced by the house-buyers in all the four phases of the project.
(8/4/99)