Dr Teng, You Are Half-Right Only

AP Land director Mr. Loke Mun Kit said that Datuk Dr. Teng Hock Nan (the Penang Local Govt Committee Chairman) must be under a misconception that approvals only took an average of two years. Mr. Loke was responding to the press statement made by Dr. Teng yesterday.

Speaking on behalf of Tan Sri Low Yow Chuan, Mr. Loke refute the contention made by Dr. Teng, that building plans are approved within 2-years, are "absolutely doubtful". Loke cited examples of four projects which have taken seven years to be approved by Penang Municipality.

"Dr. Teng's statement on the 2-year approval period was, I believe, based on the time taken for a Development Order (DO) to be approved, which is not the whole story. The entire approval process ends when the building plans are approved. Only then can developers start working."

"If there is no issue, why would we raise it? We, too, want to build our rapport with the authorities. If there is no smoke, there is no fire," Loke said.

COMMENTS:

This problem isn't restricted to Penang only. Every States in Malaysia is facing the same problem. I had been working with property development companies for decades to concur with Loke on this problem. Political masters, who are also Executives of the government, sits too far high up and are not able to see the 3-dimensions of their departmental processes clearly. To the Ministers, once the DO is approved, their job is done and complete. But to the developers, you cannot start the building works until the building plan is approved by all the 7-State departments involved in the Building Plan approval process. In Malaysia, a DO can be approved by the State Govt, and then the building plan submitted can be asked to be changed umpteen times by the departmental officers within the Municipal Council, Town Council or City Council, Fire-dept, Water Works Dept, Sewerage and Drainage Committee, JKR Roads Dept, etc, etc. The change will not stop until the "Kau-Team" takes place. In Malaysia-Boleh spirit, we must "Kau-team". This word is understood by all races, whoever they are, as long as you are in business.