AS THE sixth Legislative Council meeting is set to commence tomorrow, issues raised during last year’s sessions are now under scrutiny with regard to their progress.

One issue raised during last year’s LegCo deliberations was the lax government control over land or housing developers highlighted by YB Dato Paduka Haji Puasa bin Orang Kaya Seri Pahlawan Tudin. It is an issue he had already raised during the LegCo meeting in 2005.

He had noted then that there had been no development on this issue and it should be given the utmost attention. “The blame does not only fall on the developers but also the authorities who allowed it to occur and whose job it is to implement the various regulations with regard to the implications on the environment,” he said last year.

Minister of Development YB Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri SetiaAwang Hj Abdullah in reply had said that a Developers Act was being considered, including the setting up of a developers’ standard.

The minister, however, had acknowledged that even with the Act, without proper implementation, the problems will persist.

“The country needs to have these regulations set in place now,” a member of the public told the Bulletin. “There are enough ‘cowboy’ developers out there.”

A local businessman, Haji Yakub, wonders if there are any regulations to control infrastructure surrounding land and housing development such as traffic flow and sewerage systems.

“There are also other issues to consider that are ignored simply because there are no regulations to control them such as environment and pollution,” he added.

Last month, the government tightened regulations on earthwork development to prevent landslides and flooding, often a result from improper land works.

Under the new requirements set by the Ministry of Development, only architects and engineers registered with the ministry are allowed to submit earthwork development applications within the Development Control Competent Authority (DCCA) area.

This move by the ministry was lauded by the public but with and added note of apprehension.

Haji Kassim, a retired government servant, said: “It’s good that the authority is finally taking a pro-active role albeit slowly in taking action on development. Urban sprawl has been intense over the years and although it’s good in general, especially in terms of growth, the long-term effect can prove otherwise.

“It only took a few days of rain to change the landscape and for us to realise that government control and regulations are necessary,” he added.

Last year a sum of $4,985,785,600 was proposed and approved for the 2009-2010 budgets – an increase of $200 million compared to the 2008/2009 financial year.

The progress of the projects and issues since then will be the main focus over the next week.

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