PRESS STATEMENT
DATE: 29 NOVEMBER 2010
BACKGROUND: TAMAN KEPONG, ONE OF THE EARLIEST HOUSING ESTATES IN THE KLANG VALLEY, WAS DEVELOPED AROUND 1965 BY KEPONG DEVELOPMENT SDN BHD. THE COMPANY HAS SINCE BEEN WOUND UP, BUT THE HOUSEBUYERS WHO ARE MAINLY IN THEIR LATE SIXTIES OR SEVENTIES ARE NOW HAVING TO STRIVE HARD TO GET THEIR TEMPORARY OR QUALIFIED TITLE (“HAKMILIK SEMENTARA”) CONVERTED TO PERMANENT TITLE (“HAKMILIK TETAP”). THIS ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED DESPITE FORTY YEARS THAT MOST OF THEM HAVE LIVED HERE.
A PRESS CONFERENCE WAS CALLED BY THE UNDERSIGNED ON 14 NOVEMBER 2010 TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. IN THE PRESS CONFERENCE, YB DR TAN SENG GIAW, MP OF KEPONG, HAD EXPLAINED TO RESIDENTS THE REASON WHY THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN QUALIFIED TITLES (“HAKMILIK SEMENTARA”) SOME TEN YEARS AGO, INSTEAD OF THE PERMANENT TITLE (“HAKMILIK TETAP”). IT IS LEARNT THAT THE DEVELOPER HAD FAILED TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION TO THE SURVEY AND MAPPING DEPARTMENT (JABATAN UKUR DAN PEMETAAN WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN KUALA LUMPUR OR JUPEM) AND THE THEN LAND OFFICE TO HAVE THE PERMANENT TITLES ISSUED. ALTHOUGH SOME RESIDENTS ARE STILL WORRIED THAT THEY CANNOT SELL THEIR PROPERTIES, THEY NOW WANT THE TITLES TO BE CONVERTED TO PERMANENT TITLES WITHOUT GIVING THEM ANY HASSLES OR INCONVENIENCE OF HAVING TO ENGAGE THEIR PRIVATE SURVEYORS. AFTER ALL, THE FAILURE IS THE FAILURE OF THE NOW DEFUNCT DEVELOPER AND THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING & LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO SUPERVISE THE DEFAULTING DEVELOPERS.
IN RESPONSE TO THE COMPLAINT RAISED IN THE MEDIA, ONE OF THE HOUSEBUYERS, MADAM LEE YOKE SIEW, 75, RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF FEDERAL TERRITORIES LAND AND MINES OFFICE, HASIM ISMAIL TO REQUEST FOR AN OFFICIAL APPLICATION LETTER AND SEVERAL DOCUMENTS BEFORE THE LAND OFFICE COULD PROCESS THE APPLICATION TO CONVERT THE QUALIFIED TITLES INTO PERMANENT TITLES. AS THE SON OF MADAM LEE, HERE IS MY RESPONSE TO THE LETTER AFTER SPEAKING TO HASIM:
A) THE DIRECTOR OF FT LAND AND MINES, HASIM ISMAIL IS FULLY AWARE THAT THE DEVELOPER HAS NEVER APPLIED TO THE SURVEY AND MAPPING; THEREFORE HOUSEBUYERS DO NOT HAVE A COPY OF THE “PELAN AKUI”. TO REQUEST FOR A COPY OF SUCH A PLAN IS THEREFORE AN INSENSIBLE PROPOSAL AND DOES NOT REFLECT WELL ON THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE LAND OFFICE TO RESOLVE THE LONG OUTSTANDING ISSUE. THE LAST THING THAT HOUSEBUYERS WANT, AFTER PURCHASING THE PROPERTY, IS TO HAVE TO ENGAGE A PRIVATE SURVEYOR TO CARRY OUT THE SURVEY WHEN THE DEFUNCT DEVELOPER FAILED TO CARRY OUT ITS OBLIGATIONS.
B) ON NOVEMBER 14, THE UNDERSIGNED HAD WRITTEN TO THE PRIME MINISTER, DATUK SERI NAJIB RAZAK AND THE CHIEF SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT, TAN SRI SIDEK HASSAN VIA EMAIL TO URGE THE GOVERNMENT TO SOLVE ISSUES RELATING TO THE LAND TITLE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY IF THE GOVERNMENT IS SERIOUS ABOUT HELPING TO BOOST HOUSEBUYERS’ CONFIDENCE.
C) THE FAILURE OF DEVELOPERS TO APPLY FOR INDIVIDUAL OR STRATA TITLE IS A REFLECTION OF FAILURE ON THE PART OF THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE MINISTRY OF LAND AND COOPERATIVES TO SUPERVISE THE HOUSING DEVELOPERS ON THEIR PERFORMANCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO LAND. IF THE DEVELOPER OF KEPONG GARDEN HAD FAILED, AND BOTH MINISTRIES HAD FAILED TO ACT ON THE DEVELOPER, THIS SHOULD NOT CAUSE ANY BURDEN TO THE HOUSEBUYERS, MANY OF WHOM ARE ALREADY SENIOR CITIZENS.
D) THIS IS PRECISELY THE REASON WHY I WAS AT ODDS WITH THE DIRECTOR OF FT LAND & MINES OFFICE WHO REQUESTED MY MOTHER TO MAKE AVAILABLE A COPY OF THE “PELAN AKUI” WHICH HE KNOWS CANNOT BE PRODUCED.
E) I URGE THE FT LAND AND MINES OFFICE TO ISSUE A SIMILAR LETTER TO ALL THE AFFECTED RESIDENTS INSTEAD OF JUST ONE RESIDENT. I AM APPALLED BY THE FACT THAT THE LAND & MINES OFFICE HAS NOT ISSUED THE LETTER TO OTHER HOUSEBUYERS WHICH CLEARLY SHOWS THAT IT IS NOT SERIOUSLY LOOKING AT A SOLUTION BUT PLAYING THE “RUN AROUND” GAME WHICH THE UNDERSIGNED HAS CHOSEN NOT TO TANGO.
F) THE MINISTER OF FEDERAL TERRITORIES AND URBAN WELLBEING MINISTER DATUK RAJA NONG CHIK DATUK ZAINAL ABIDIN HAD ON NOVEMBER 23 IN AN ARTICLE CARRIED BY THE MALAY MAIL HAD “ASSURED OVER 1,000 TAMAN KEPONG RESIDENTS HERE ALL THE ASSISTANCE POSSIBLE TO OBTAIN TITLES TO THEIR HOMES.” THE HOUSEBUYERS WANT THE MINISTER TO SERIOUSLY ADDRESS THE ISSUE INSTEAD OF ALLOWING THE TWO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES (FT LAND & MINES AND SURVEYORS & MAPPING DEPARTMENT) TO CONTINUE TO DRAG THEIR FEET.
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THIS PRESS STATEMENT IS ISSUED BY STEPHEN NG, IN HIS CAPACITY AS THE SON OF ONE OF THE HOUSEBUYERS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
STEPHEN NG
DATE: 29 NOVEMBER 2010A PRESS CONFERENCE WAS CALLED BY THE UNDERSIGNED ON 14 NOVEMBER 2010 TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. IN THE PRESS CONFERENCE, YB DR TAN SENG GIAW, MP OF KEPONG, HAD EXPLAINED TO RESIDENTS THE REASON WHY THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN QUALIFIED TITLES (“HAKMILIK SEMENTARA”) SOME TEN YEARS AGO, INSTEAD OF THE PERMANENT TITLE (“HAKMILIK TETAP”). IT IS LEARNT THAT THE DEVELOPER HAD FAILED TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION TO THE SURVEY AND MAPPING DEPARTMENT (JABATAN UKUR DAN PEMETAAN WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN KUALA LUMPUR OR JUPEM) AND THE THEN LAND OFFICE TO HAVE THE PERMANENT TITLES ISSUED. ALTHOUGH SOME RESIDENTS ARE STILL WORRIED THAT THEY CANNOT SELL THEIR PROPERTIES, THEY NOW WANT THE TITLES TO BE CONVERTED TO PERMANENT TITLES WITHOUT GIVING THEM ANY HASSLES OR INCONVENIENCE OF HAVING TO ENGAGE THEIR PRIVATE SURVEYORS. AFTER ALL, THE FAILURE IS THE FAILURE OF THE NOW DEFUNCT DEVELOPER AND THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING & LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO SUPERVISE THE DEFAULTING DEVELOPERS.
