DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock has expressed his dissatisfaction over the government's unwillingness to legislate commercial development projects despite recurring problems with errant developers.

He said several remarks made by Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Ting on Thursday that his ministry was not responsible for commercial projects were unacceptable as the minister had on previous occasions responded to questions relating to these projects when they were raised in Parliament.

"Ong's explanation is very weak because all this while, the application of Certificates of Fitness for commercial projects has been handled by local governments which are under his ministry," said Kerk, refuting Ong's remarks.

Question on Thursday

"The Housing Minister or his deputies have also handled all questions and debates in Parliament pertaining to commercial development projects," he added.

Kerk made reference to a question he raised in Parliament on Thursday asking Ong to explain why the government had yet to produce a legislation to control commercial projects despite problems of buyers being cheated by errant developers.

Although Ong responded that the government was in the process of studying such a legislation, he was reported as saying to the press later that commercial projects were not under the purview of his ministry.

Kerk said it is inaccurate for Ong to say that no ministry is in charge of these projects when the latter's ministry had clearly assumed responsibility for it.

"What is lacking, however, is a legislation to control the industry. At present, the Housing Ministry has no authority or power to control it," he noted.

If Ong was right in saying that commercial projects do not fall under the purview of his ministry, then it begs the question why the government had left the sector "abandoned" for so long, said Kerk.

"I had questioned the logic as to why the government is still reluctant to come up with a legislation to protect purchasers' interest," he said.

Minister reprimanded

Kerk said the government had said many times in Parliament that it was looking into drawing up such a law, although nothing has materialised thus far.

"I reprimanded the minister (in Parliament) by saying that I had heard such an answer (that the government was looking into the matter) many times even before 1999," he said.

The number of abandoned commercial development projects peaked in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

Although the number of buyers facing problems with incomplete projects have fallen in recent years, a significant number still find themselves unprotected by the law when developers abscond with their money.