Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers Association (Shareda) will form a committee soon to focus on providing updated building materials and construction technologies to members.
New President Datuk Johnny Wong Chen Yee said this is one of his visions to modernise Sabah’s construction practices and improve cost efficiency for developers.
Johnny, who has been with Shareda for 16 years and has vast international property development experiences in Australia, China and the United Kingdom, said such move is also to close the gap between Sabah and global best practices.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});“Building materials and technologies are evolving rapidly around the world and often updated. Unfortunately, Sabah is still lagging behind in both material selection and construction methods.
“That is why I want to form a committee to explore and evaluate advanced building materials that not only enhance aesthetics but also improve energy efficiency, durability, and cost-effectiveness for developers.
“Our goal is to help developers build better homes faster and at lower costs by introducing innovative materials and efficient design approaches. It’s time for us to catch up and even lead in certain areas,” he said after winning the post uncontested at its 32nd annual general meeting last Saturday.
Shareda’s new Deputy President is Benny Ng Su Pei while two new Vice-Presidents are Datuk Quek Siew Hau and Chai Meng Kong, new Secretary-General is Quek Teck Seng and new Treasurer-General is Joanne Wendy Chung, and six new Council members.
He said the committee would also focus on sourcing and disseminating knowledge about the latest construction technologies that can significantly reduce project timelines without compromising on quality.
It is part of a broader vision for Shareda to champion forward-thinking, sustainable and economically viable development across Sabah.
“By leveraging global innovation and tailoring it to local needs, we can help our members build smarter and more competitively.
“I believe the future of Sabah’s property and development sectors lies in our ability to cooperate, innovate and adapt. With all these, I am confident that we can lead Shareda to greater heights.
“As we move forward into a new chapter, it is also my vision to steer Shareda into becoming not only a key voice for the real estate and housing industry in Sabah but also a strategic partner to the Government in shaping a more vibrant and sustainable property landscape,” he said.
In light of this, Johnny said Shareda continues to strengthen its engagement with the government to work hand-in-hand to improve every stage of the development process from project inception to planning approvals, to completion and handover.
He said this aspiration is his another vision to push for regulatory reforms and market insights to drive Sabah’s economic growth.
“Over the last 16 years in Shareda, we realised there are a lot of regulations, processes and policies date back to the 1960s — some as early as 1963 or 1965 and some are no longer in step with today’s development environment.
“To address this, Shareda is committing to more structured and consistent dialogue with relevant government agencies to advocate for updates across the development approval process from planning stages to project completion, including the transition from the Occupation Certificate (OC) to the more streamlined Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC).
“Over the past four years, we’ve made progress, including the successful implementation of the CCC system. We want to continue this momentum to ensure that approvals and compliance processes become more efficient and developer-friendly,” Johnny said.