I read with sadness and shame the daily news articles about MCA's never-ending internal fighting. They should spend more time running the country and less on politicking. The general public is already immune to all these squabbles and will not raise an eyebrow whether Team A or Team B wins.

The party is in charge of four important ministries. To me, it can do a lot to alleviate and lessen the problems of the ordinary people, and politicking should be the last on the agenda.

The MCA has been at the helm of the Local Government and Housing Ministry for decades. The past and present ministers have been making promises after promises, such as for the certificate of fitness to be issued in a few weeks or quality houses to be handed over, etc., but what happens in the end? Has any of the promises been fulfilled? Purchasers continue to suffer, and helplessly at that.

I think the most unfair clause in the Sale and Purchase Agreement is the one pertaining to delivery of vacant possession of a house against the actual issuance of CF. How many developers have taken advantage of this loop-hole to fleece the poor purchasers!

I am a victim of a housing developer. I have booked an apartment unit in one of the projects near USJ21, and have paid a substantial sum. Delivery of vacant possession is May 2002. The building is only 40 percent complete but work has stopped for the past several months. There is no sign of work resuming. My greatest fear is this will be just another failed housing project.

My case is all-too familiar. Today how many projects have failed, and the developers run away with poor purchasers' hard-earned money? Do they have conscience at all?

The problems of failed housing projects and non-issuance of the CF can be actually and easily overcome by adopting the 'build-and-sell' policy. Of course, developers are dead against this as it effectively puts an end to their manoeuvring and profiteering. They convince the ministry that such policy will greatly inflate the price of houses.

However, the opportunity costs of failed projects and non-occupation of completed houses due to the non-issuance of the CF surely exceed any profit developers make from the increase in house prices. I fail to understand why the minister, Ong Ka Ting, is so indecisive implementing this 'build-and-sell' policy. The only assumption I can make is that perhaps just too many developers are also party leaders and he does not wish to rock the boat lest he will be thrown overboard!

Please MCA, stop the internal fighting, run your ministries well, and we promise our votes will never go astray except to MCA.