sustainability and internationalisation among
four of its major thrusts. “We need to raise
standards at home so that they can compete
overseas,” comments Dato’ Sri Judin. CIDB will
be implementing apprenticeship programmes
to transfer skills of international construction
players to local counterparts as well as training
programmes developed in partnership with worldclass players to further build the expertise of
Malaysian companies.
Besides being competitive, companies have
to embrace sustainability as there is worldwide
concern about environmental degradation
and the need to conserve resources for future
generations. Dato’ Sri Judin notes that CIDB is
working with Harvard University to come out
with a Sustainability Rating Tool. This will assess
sustainability in terms of design, construction and
subsequent maintenance of buildings, cities and
infrastructure. The Government sector is expected
to take the lead and introduce it gradually to the
private sector.
Besides the CITP, Dato’ Sri Judin touched on
other topics. Here are excerpts from the interview:
It is almost 10 years since the Construction
Industry Master Plan (CIMP) 2006-2015 was
launched. Would you like to highlight the
achievements, milestones and shortfalls?
CIMP had 21 strategic recommendations to be
implemented over the 10 year period up to 2015.
About 95% of the identified activities have been
implemented and the strategic recommendations
have resulted in a number of achievements
including, the introduction of programmes to
improve the performance of the industry such as
the Safety & Health Assessment in Construction
(SHASSIC), Contractor Performance Assessment
Framework, Green Performance Assessment
System and many more. However, more can be
done to improve the construction industry and CIDB
together with Works Ministry (KKR), is now taking
the lead in engaging relevant Ministries, agencies
and the private sector in the development of the
Construction Industry Transformation Programme
(CITP). Lessons learnt from the CIMP experience is
taken on board in developing CITP including:1. Identifying and prioritising only key
initiatives that are aligned with the overall
national agenda and will 'move the needle',
2. Putting in place a strong governance body,
and
3. Including the industry from the planning
phase to collaboratively drive changes.
We understand that CIDB is planning to launch
their Construction Industry Transformation
Programme (CITP). Can you elaborate on the
new focus and strategic thrusts?
There are four strategic thrusts under the CITP
which together will transform the industry from
one that is perceived as 'dirty, difficult, dangerous'
today to an industry that is clean, with a highly
capable workforce and providing careers that are
coveted by local Malaysians.
The strategic thrusts focus on:
1. Raising the overall productivity level of the
industry;
2. Ensuring Environmental Sustainability
measures are in place in the design,
construction and subsequent maintenance
of our buildings, cities and infrastructure;
3. Focusing on improving the competitiveness
and subsequent ability of our construction
players to internationalise; and
4. Improving the overall Quality, Safety and
Professionalism in the industry.
We understand that the CIDB Act was amended
in 2011. What are the salient points and what
does it aspire to achieve?
Some of the important aspects of the amendments
to Act 520 are to increase CIDB's scope to regulate
standards on materials, quality and safety. These
include CIDB having the authority to penalise
contractors that consistently do not comply with
regulations and standards; and to audit for and
ensure use of standard-compliant materials,
whether local or import, in construction.
How would you assess the capability of the
Malaysia construction industry compared with
ASEAN countries and beyond?
Malaysian construction companies are generally
considered competitive within the ASEAN region,
but we still have a long way to go when compared to
competitors in more developed markets including
the Asian countries such as Japan and Korea. CITP
focuses on growing Malaysian companies' capacity
and competitiveness by driving and supporting
11