Much has been written about the recent decision by the Works Minister S Samy Vellu that architects and engineers will soon be responsible for the issuance of the certificate of fitness (CF) for completed houses. I take particular umbrage at the comments of SM Mohamad Idris of the Consumers' Association of Penang regarding his objection to this proposal.

Since the beginning of our housing industry, the issuance of the CF has been with the authority of the local councils with approval having to be obtained from about a dozen government bodies. Most, if not all, of the local councils are manned by ordinary civil servants whose knowledge and expertise in the building industry is virtually nil. Despite this lack of expertise, the law till now demands that we obtain certification from these authorities whose speed of approval depends on the quantum of money changing hands.

With the need to obtain approvals from a dozen of these government bodies, imagine the bureaucratic delay that a developer has to endure. This results in an inordinate delay in the issuance of the CF, sometimes stretching over a period of years if no money changes hands.

With the introduction of responsibility of issuance of the CF to architects and engineers, there is every reason to believe that due care and diligence will be exercised on compliance with specifications and workmanship. It is very unlikely that these professionals would risk their rice bowl by compromising on quality with shoddy workmanship.

At the end of the day, the responsibility of issuing the CF comes with an attached responsibility of being liable to any litigation that may arise as a result of the certification.

From the inception of the Housing Act, we have relied on the local authorities to issue the certificate of fitness. This has resulted in bureaucratic delay, corruption and abandonment of housing projects. The time has come for us to move forward and experiment with a new method of certification issuance.

It would be a great disservice to the housing industry if critics like Mohamad Idris put a nail in the coffin of this new proposal even before it is implemented.