KUALA LUMPUR, Thurs. - The days of waiting endlessly for certificates of fitness for occupation (CF) will soon be over.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting today confirmed the CF would be abolished.

Efforts were being made to put together a new system of certification in line with the Prime Minister's directive in June, Ong said in his keynote address at the National Housing and Property Summit at the Sheraton Imperial, here.

"We are taking the Prime Minister's directive seriously. We want to cut the waiting time and bureaucracy but housebuyers' interests and the safety of the buildings and public will not be compromised. The same requirements will be imposed on the developers."

He said under the new system, engineers and architects would play a bigger role in the verification of building specifications.

"They are the ones who design and submit the plans to the local authorities. But we must have checks and balances. We must have a way to regulate these professionals to ensure they work responsibly and professionally."

Ong said the one-stop-centres for approving building plans and issuing CFs would continue to operate indefinitely.

He also said the statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in May concerning errant developers was not a call for the build-and-sell concept to be made compulsory.

Ong said the Prime Minister's intention was to ensure house buyers were protected and got their houses quickly and in good condition.

"Most house buyers put their life savings into a purchase. It is a once-in-a-lifetime event.

"Developers must have something tangible and reassuring before money is given to them. At the end of the day, the buyer must get the house," said Ong.