Ingenieur Vol 61 January-March 2015 | Page 11

BEM ROAD SHOW 2014/2015 BEM NEWS Opening Address by YB Datuk Haji Fadillah Bin Haji Yusof, Minister of Works Malaysia This is an abstract of the speech at the BEM Roadshow 2014/2015 held in Kuala Lumpur on September 29, 2014. E ngineers play instrumental roles in all sectors of the economy particularly the builtenvironment, manufacturing, transportation, information communication as well as other industries. Engineers are important because you generate wealth for our economy and create innovations that enhance the quality of life of our people. As the Minister in charge of construction works, I earnestly hope that the image of the whole construction industry improves and it is for the engineers to take the necessary steps to uphold their professional standing, integrity and to always work within their level of competency. I am happy to see a paper for this Road Show entitled “Responsibility and Accountability of Stakeholders in the Construction Industry”. I was informed that this paper also contains a long list of recommendation to mitigate construction mishaps. It is therefore important that every stakeholder in the construction industry understand their roles well. The construction industry must learn from experience because each incident has valuable lessons such as the standard of safety, professionalism, competency and accountability from all stakeholders. In 1968, a four-storey building at Jalan Raja Laut Kuala Lumpur collapsed; in 1988, the gangway at Penang Ferry Terminal collapsed; in 1993, the Highland Towers at Ulu Klang collapsed and; in 2009, the roof of the Gong Badak Stadium at Kuala Terengganu collapsed and Jaya Supermarket at Petaling Jaya collapsed during demolition. After each of these incidents, various legislations were amended and improved or new ones enacted to protect the safety and interest of the public. The Ministry of Works intends to arrest such incidents in the future by instilling a pervasive “safety culture” within the construction industry. The Ministry recognizes that to instil a “safety culture” through legislation is difficult because “culture” can only evolve with time. Nevertheless with persistency, the apathetic culture towards public safety will be replaced with a new culture that looks after their interest. The Ministry is optimistic that being a developed nation by 2020 is not merely by an increase of personal income; but also importantly the “human values” affecting us. One of these “human values” is to reduce the fatalities in the construction industry. Fatality as a result of poor safety culture amongst the stakeholders at the expense of human lives is just not acceptable. Despite the mishaps in the construction industry, I have noted the progressive attitude of the Board towards liberalisation of the services industry. My perception of the Board of Engineers is that it is run by professionals of impeccable character. The Board has adopted a policy of optimism by providing pragmatic, intelligent and meaningful solutions to the Government. Talking about globalization, I am glad to inform 9