Bind contractors, builders with ethics

The Sun 22/9/2005

JUST as professionals have ethical standards, developers and contractors must also have similar standards. Professional bodies such as the Board of Engineers should make sure that members abide by ethical standard. Similarly, the government should have measures to ensure that developers and contractors follow similar standard. This is one way of protecting the people from being shortchanged.

Last Monday, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu gave a keynote address at the opening of a forum on integrity in the construction sector at the Integrity Institute of Malaysia.

He stressed the need for integrity in the sector, citing, among many things, the abandonment of the Cameron Highlands Hospital project by the contractor. He agrees that as engineers and architects have a code of ethics, so should contractors who appear to be above the professionals.

In April last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said: "The effort to enhance integrity based on the National Integrity Plan (NIP), and coordinated by Institut Integriti Malaysia (IIM), will form a concept that is appealing to all Malaysians. It will be a source of strength for Malaysians to manage its success and overcome its weaknesses ..."

There are developers and contractors who complete projects according to specifications. But there are those who, for one reason or another, fail miserably. They make people suffer. Would the forum on integrity help?

Apart from the Cameron Highlands Hospital project, other projects that have caused headaches include the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) flyover in Kepong, Matrade building, East Coast Highway, Penang Outer Ring Road, Johor Baru Pandan Hospital, Temerloh Hospital and 18 problematic school projects.

For over a year, 31 out of 32 pillars of the Kepong flyover (viaduct) had cracks. Foreign consultants were engaged to study the cracks. Finally, the UK consultant Halcrow Group found crystals called ettringite in the cracks. We are still waiting for the Public Works Department to publish the report on the flyover and to repair the cracks.

Does the government truly intend to stop negotiated tenders and open up all tenders? Would it adopt international criteria to appoint contractors? We require effective measures to ensure that developers and contractors have codes of ethics.

Tan Seng Giaw
DAP deputy chairman