IMPROVING the public sector delivery system by cutting red tape and promoting transparency has been the hall-mark of the administration from day one.

There is one problem all the previous administrations tried in various ways to resolve, but the result has been less than satisfactory. And that is unreasonable delays in the issuance of certificates of fitness for completed buildings. This has been the bane of property buyers for over 30 years. It can take six months to two years, sometimes even more, to get a CF.

Local authorities responsible for issuing CFs have proved too inert to handle the task within a reasonable time-frame. A Cabinet directive in January 1996 said CFs should be issued within 14 days if all legal and structural requirements had been met. Nothing came of it. Neither did the revamp of the governing Act (renamed the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Act 1966) in 2002 help improve the CF situation. Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting announced at the end of last year the removal of seven agencies from CF approval duties. The local authorities were also directed to set up a one-stop agency to speed up CF issuance from this year. However, today there remains the same scepticism.

It, is against this backdrop that the Prime Minister proposed abolishing the CF and putting the onus on building safety on professionals. The proposal must be given serious consideration. There is, however, the tangible fear that developers may pressure industry professionals to cut corners and approve buildings fast at the expense and safety of buyers. To avert this, measures must be put in place to ensure developers and professionals will be held culpable for shortcomings in the finished product.