Attending to crucial details delays Bill
NST 4/10/2005

Kuala Lumpur, Mon - A Government proposal to speed up the certification of new buildings fit for occupation has hit a bureaucratic snag.

A Parliamentary Bill to replace the current Certificate of Fitness of Occupation (CFO) with a leaner and more efficient Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC) by the end of the year is still being drafted.

The Bill is now expected to be tabled in March next year.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said the Attorney-General's Chambers was studying the amendments of several laws related to the implementation of the CCC.

"The letters 'CFO' in any Act need to be replaced with 'CCC', and this involved numerous Acts and regulations," he said.

"This is why we cannot take it at this Parliament session as it is being passed around between the ministry, the AG's chambers and the related agencies."

In March this year, Ong had said that the CCC, would be in place by November. It was proposed to cut red tape, and reduce delays and opportunities for corruption among local council officials.

The CCC is also expected to be speedier because architects and engineers will be empowered to make certification. By contrast, the CFO can only be issued by some-times inefficient local councils.

This proposal was warmly embraced by professional bodies and others who felt it would reduce the waiting time for CFOs.

Ong, who spoke after launching World Habitat Day Malaysia 2005 today, said his ministry was making sure all technical problems were ironed out before the CCC Bill was presented to Parliament.

"There must be enough checks and balances so that the CCC can be issued faster without comprising building safety," he said.

One welcomed the move in the 2006 Budget to create 334 technical posts in local government one-stop centres.

"This will benefit local governments who cannot afford to hire technical staff," he said.