INGENIEUR
In reality, the P.Eng registration at BEM does
not interfere with the jurisdiction of CAAM under
Part III, para 16 of Act 788 [7] much like BEM does
not interfere with the role of a P.Eng at the Fire
Advisory Board under the jurisdiction of Jabatan
Bomba dan Penyelamat Malaysia. A CAAM LAME
who complies with BEM code of conduct as a
P.Eng enhances the overall professionalism level
of LAME. This may also explain the reason a
Civil Aviation Authority United Kingdom (CAA UK)
LAME is allowed to be professionally registered at
the Engineering Council (UK) [10][11][12] similar
to the registration of CAAM LAMEs by BEM.
Interestingly, CAAM LAME P.Eng registration at
BEM appears to complement the function of
CAAM Part III, para 16 of Act 788[7] in particular
para (i), (m) and (p) from the perspectives of
professionalism as below:
Para (i) states “to encourage, promote,
facilitate and assist in the development and
improvement of civil aviation capabilities, skills
and services in Malaysia”. As a P.Eng, one has to
participate in activities such as talks, visits and
seminars, etc. with a minimum of 50 continuous
professional development (CPD) points per year
to renew one’s P.Eng registration. Therefore, the
requirement of para (i) is supported.
Para (m) states “to promote education and
training in respect of any matter relating to civil
aviation”. When one participates in the activities
of CPD, one may attend or give talks, seminars
related to aircraft maintenance engineering. When
such activities are conducted by a P.Eng, para (m)
objectives are supported.
Para (p) states “to encourage research
and development on any matter relating to civil
aviation”. When one participates in CPD activities,
the networking of P.Eng with other engineers
and researchers is enhanced. Issues discussed
may be shared that could lead to research and
development on matters related to civil aviation.
Currently, the number of LAMEs who are
involved in such CPD activities appears to
be minimal. The representation of LAMEs in
a professional statutory body such as BEM
is extremely low. It is the intention of the
LAME professional registration processes to
complement and support CAAM and its LAMEs to
enhance their professionalism without interfering
with the existing jurisdiction of CAAM over the
LAME roles as provided by Civil Aviation Act 1969
[5], MCAR 2016 [6] and its related ANs.
CURRENT PROFESSIONAL SCENARIO
This section reviews previous studies on
professionalising a particular profession. It
gathers the knowledge and studies done in order
to ensure this study covers the important aspects
and objectives of this paper. It also enables a
reflection of existing practices and areas that are
critical for this study.
The Rationale
Abraham Lincoln [13] once said “don’t worry when
you are not recognised but strive to be worthy
of recognition”. Many different professions have
strived and gained recognition by statutory bodies
in Malaysia. These professions became worthy of
recognition because of their high professionalism
that contributes to society in terms of national
safety and economic well-being. These include
practising professionals in the law profession,
accountancy profession, medical profession and
quite a few more. The Malaysia Bar Council [14]
was formed in 1947 that provides recognition to
practising and professional lawyers. Practising
doctors are recognised by the Malaysian Medical
Council [15] that was formed in 1971. Practising
accountants are recognised by the Malaysian
Institute of Accountants [16] that was formed in
1967.
Though engineers could effectively begin their
registration at BEM from August 23, 1972, LAMEs
were not represented even though the profession
of aircraft maintenance engineering was noted
under Annex 1 of the 1944 Chicago convention
[17]. Perhaps it was due to the separation of
Malaysia Singapore Airlines into Malaysia Airlines
System (MAS) and Singapore International Airlines
(SIA) on 30th Sep 1972 [18]. In a way, the LAME
profession was not represented as a part of the
engineering team then.
The Registration of Engineers Act (REA) 1967
[2] and the Registration of Engineers Regulations
1990 [19] were amended effective July 31, 2015.
The amended REA was known as "Registration of
Engineers Act 1967 (Revised 2015) [2]’' whilst the
accompanying Regulations known as "Registration
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