Ingenieur Vol 62 April-June 2015 Ingenieur Vol 62 April-June 2015 | Page 11

Interview with CIDB Chief Executive, Dato’ Sri Prof. Ir. Dr Judin bin Abdul Karim TRANSFORMING THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY The Construction Industry Transformation Programme will run in parallel with the 11th Malaysia Plan (2016-2020). Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) met Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Chief Executive, Dato’ Sri Prof. Ir. Dr Judin bin Abdul Karim to find out what lies ahead and how the construction industry can be transformed into a “world class” sector. D ato’ Sri Prof. Ir. Dr Judin bin Abdul Karim sees a challenging journey ahead in transforming the construction industry through the soon-to-be launched Construction Industry Transformation Programme (CITP), which runs parallel with the 11th Malaysia Plan (2016-2020). Over the past 10 years, following the Construction Industry Master Plan 2006-2015 (CIMP), many Government programmes were introduced to improve safety, productivity and quality in various aspects of the construction industry. However, the image of the industry still leaves much to be desired. It continues to be plagued with long-standing issues like overdependence on foreign labour, construction mishaps and complaints on poor quality houses. How can the industry be transformed? “Historical practices need to change,” declares Dato’ Sri Judin, referring to professional practices in the construction value chain which do not work towards quality assurance. He says it begins with integrity of various professionals engaged in construction. “Who is doing the work? Who got paid for it?” he asks, calling for professionals to bear responsibility and accountability in all aspects of work. “Professionals need to uphold standards and move away from scarce resources,” he adds. Dato’ Sri Judin acknowledges that some areas of change require alignment with Government 9