JKR New Line-up.

Bernama.com
Malaysian National News Agency

Five Senior Officers Promoted At Two Works Ministry Agencies
General
May 09, 2007 22:02 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 (Bernama) -- Five senior officers at two agencies of the Works Ministry have been promoted, Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu announced Wednesday.

He said Datuk Dr Judin Abdul Karim has been made director-general of the Public Works Department (JKR) and Datuk Ir Mohamad Razali Othman as director-general of the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM).

"The appointments are effective from May 3," he told reporters after a post-Cabinet meeting at the ministry, here.

Judin was the former JKR deputy director-general II and Mohamad Razali the JKR deputy director-general III during the reign of Datuk Seri Wahid Omar.

Samy Vellu also announced the appointment of three JKR deputy directors-general.

Datuk Ir Mohammad Husin was made deputy director-general I, Datuk Ir Mohd Noor Yaakob deputy director-general II and Ir Selvanayagam P. Nagalingam deputy director-general III.

-- BERNAMA

Samy gags JKR Rahim

Ministers are responsible and accountable for their ministries and should provide directions and decisions pertaining to the political decisions made by the cabinet.

Minister is not suppose to interfere with the technical and design aspects of the administration of the department which should be left to the experts, i.e. the civil servants who are skilled in their field of works.

But Samy asked the Director of JKR Putrajaya, Abdul Rahim Ahmad to shut up and not make any statements pertaining to the quality of materials and workmanship which was the cause of the defects and leakages to the Immigration office in Putrajaya.

Samy told Rahim to keep his mouth shut and do his work. But Rahim was just doing his work by telling the reason why and what was the cause of the defective works. Isn't Rahim doing his work? If it is, then why asked him to shut up? You fucking ministers should not interfere with the experts, and you should be the one to shut up. Just because the responsible civil servants tell the truth which probably would hurt the contractor, how is it that the minister was the one that was upset? Was it because the contractor was given the job/project through the personal help by the minister? No wonder all the good engineers had to rot away in silence and force to retire prematurely and some who had still good years to serve even at 56 were not given the opportunity to continue to serve the nation. However, we have those corrupt officers who gets extension of their services a few times. Tan Sri Omar did not get an extension to his service when he reached 55, Datuk Seri Wahid though reluctant, was not even recommended to get an extension. Both of them are former D-G of JKR. But Tan Sri Zaini got his service extended. Zulkipli had his service extended 3 times.

Do you believe this?

Samy said the pipe problem at Putrajaya Immigration office Putrajaya was due to the unsuitability of the pipe material used by the contractor and approved by Syabas.

The pipes were manufactured in America approved by the authority here.

According to Samy, cast iron pipe was specified and the contractor proposed the alternative pipe used.

What a nut...Cast Iron pipe is history and obsolete. Nobody used it now particularly for internal plumbing pipe system. It was supposed to be steel pipe or G.I. pipe. Cast iron pipes were used previously for sewerage downpipes, not water pipe because of the porosity.

Samy, if you don't know, please shut your mouth up and asked the JKR engineer to make the statement or explanation. You screw up everything and blame the civil servants for making truthful and correct statements when you had been making stupid statements without any technical basis.

NWSC Chairman: Zaini? Why not Omar?

Shocking News!

The government decided to appoint Tan Sri Zaini Omar to be the first chairman of the new National Water Service Commission (SPAN) from March 1, 2007.

Zaini had just retired as the Director-general of JKR.

But Zaini is a electrical engineer with a law degree. How much does he knows about water management? This poser isn't intended to be contemptuous to a former leader.

Tan Sri Omar, also a retired PWD Director-general and who was the former boss to Tan Sri Zaini is the former Water Board Chairman and a civil engineering specialist, specialising infrastructure and hydraulic engineering management. Tan Sri Omar had personally been involved in designing many water & hydrology projects and the most recent is the STORM drainage tunnel in KL, of which the engineering consultant is SMHB (former Binnie & Partners). Tan Sri Omar is the executive director of SMHB (Syed Mohamad, Hui & Binnie).

Without disrespect to Zaini, Tan Sri Omar should be far more appropriate person to manage the water commission based on his competency and expertise in water management. Omar has design capabilities and his civil engineering design knowledge is appropriate to set the system management of NWSC. This is not a commercial entity nor a legal soliciting institution. Electrical engineering and law has little to do with water engineering and project management.

Maya wins New Istana Negara Project

The Star had decided that Dr Amer Hamzah Mohd Yunus is now the New Director-General of Public Works Department (JKR).

In today's new, The Star wrote:

[Quote] Public Works Department director-general Dr Amer Hamzah Mohd Yunus said only 28ha would be developed into the new Istana Negara complex while the rest would be a garden area. [Unquote]

But the current D-G of JKR is Datuk Seri Professor Dr Wahid Omar!

Is it a mistake or was it intentional?

Prof Dr Wahid Omar is overseas. Dr Amer can only be an Acting D-G unless Samy Vellu had unilaterally decided to appoint a new D-G without the need to follow the General Orders and procedures and directed The Star to make the announcement.

Coming back to the news, the new, bigger Istana Negara will cost RM400mil and will replace the current Istana which was built in 1928.

The new Istana Negara to be built on a 96.52ha site atop a hill is expected to start work in June 2007 and slated for completion in 2009.

Upon completion of the new Istana, the present building may become a royal museum.

Kumpulan Seni Reka Sdn Bhd has been appointed the architect for the new palace and Maya Maju Sdn Bhd as the building contractor.

Maya Maju? Who's Maya Maju?

Maya? Sounds familiar?

Wait for further information. Doing research now.

Plaza Damas Probe Committee

Former Public Works Department (PWD) Director-General Tan Sri Omar Ibrahim was appointed by the Works Minister Datuk Seri Samy Vellu to be the chairman of the committee that will probe into the accident that killed management consultant Dr Liew Boon Horng.

This committee was set up within the Malaysian Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) as the Investigations Committee and will include current PWD Deputy Director-General II Dr Judin Abdul Karim and PWD Director of Expert and Civil Engineering Branch P.N. Selvanayagam. Other members of the committee would be selected by Tan Sri Omar in consultation with the Works Minister and the CIDB.

I am sure Tan Sri Omar, a person who commands high respect, will do his job thoroughly and efficiently. Tan Sri Omar is recognised as a NO-Nonsense guy and he doesn't curry flavour or compromise his integrity.

But what suprised me is two key elements:

First, why is CIDB involved in such investigation? In the first place, CIDB had never shown to be involved actively in monitoring or controlling the construction projects in whatever role that can tangibly be said to have proactively, nor productively, being a partner of the industry other than to spent time in India trying to secure some projects and selling it to the few high profile Malaysian contractors for a percentage of commissions.

Since the setup of CIDB decades ago, what had been seen of CIDB in the eyes of contractors and property developers is that they exist to collect 0.25% of the project contract sum from the contractors for each and every construction project exceeding $500,000. Thereafter, nothing beneficial had been done to assist the contractors other than to ensure that the contractors register themselves with them, buy the green cards issued by CIDB, and apart of this, is the great Indian mission of projects.

Each year, more than RM20 billion worth of government project had been executed and awarded and out of which, 0.25% will be worth RM50 million. Should we include private projects, the collections by CIDB would be worth around RM100 million. After collecting these contributions from the contractors, what had the contractors benefitted? Absolutely nothing; asked any contractors!!!

As the industry regulators and promoters, CIDB should had never played a beneficial role to contribute positively the development of the construction industry standards, in particular, the standards of construction methodology and quality of the works. Somehow, it's role is somewhat like a tax and debt collector, licence operator, and now, the new role is investigator and policemen of the contractors.

Is it the way that Malaysian government set up regulatory institutions?

Take an anology: If parents duty to their children is to police them of their activities and punish them if they are naughty; cane them when they don't study or fail in their exam; scold them if they don't behave; and slap them if they are delinquent; would you think the children will become a better person when they grow up? Would you think the children will learn to behave better or improve themselves from such enforcement?

Governmental institutions such as CIDB, DOSH, City Hall, etc, should be playing active and proactive role in development and progression. It is not about enforcement and policing that can contribute to national development and improvement. It is being involved with the industry, understanding their weakness and needs, promoting quality, safety, and competence that we can see improvements and maturity.

The Human Resources Ministry wants answers from the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) on the 700 cases of negligence at project sites reported since 2003. Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn said his ministry would meet with the board this week to ascertain what was wrong in the industry. “We want to know the outcome of their investigations as CIDB has the power to issue stop-work orders and take action against errant contractors. We are serious as we do not want a repeat of the tragedy which happened in Sri Hartamas (Kuala Lumpur) last week,” he said. Dr Fong statement was in response to media reports about the 700 cases, which included 150 high-profile incidents.

I am not sure if Dr Fong understands the role and responsibility of CIDB and also whether CIDB understand their purpose of existence.

Secondly, I am puzzled at the committee that is set up to investigate the incidence at Plaza Damas. It seemed to consist of structural engineering design engineers. But the key problem that is involved in the incident involves the operation management of the construction activities, the mechanical engineering operation of hoisting steel moulds, clamping and locking of the craning and hoisting system, how the workers and supervisors control and monitor the craning, hoisting, fixing, removing and stacking the steel moulds. This concerns, project management, construction site operation management, tower-cranage management, safety and risk operation management of work activities and tasks. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is involved with structural engineering design.

It puzzles me - are they going to investigate the steel mould design? Are they looking into the reinforced concrete design? Are they going to check and analyse the scaffolding design and installation? What for? What the F**k for?

Primarily as I see it, the investigation should be centered on how the steel moulding operations are carried out from hoisting, installation, removal and stacking; how the safety of the work's operation were planned, monitored and controlled; and whether there any risk management - identification, quantification, response planning, risk monitoring, risk control, and workaround management? The analysis should include the methods of operation and resource competence such as the competence and control of tower-crane operation, how contractor execute and supervise their work and task operations, how they manage safety and risk, and whether the consulting engineers and architects of the project had played their professional roles of project management.

The committee should therefore include those who understand tower-crane operation, steel formwork system operation management (not design), construction management safety and health experts, mechanical engineers to analyse the hoisting and installation process for the steel moulding formwork system, project management experts in high-rise building construction, and construction-risk system managers.

At such, if the investigation committee is crowded with structural design experts, and government servants, including CIDB staffs, the presumption is that they understand nothing of contractors' operation management and process. Even those purported associated consultants of CIDB are good talkers, and none have been experienced as contractor's operation managers or had been construction site managers who had been involved in high-rise building construction management process in the role of the contractor's operation.

Unless you are been involved with the contractors in construction process and management role, it is hard for government servants irrespective whether they are ex-JKR or ex-consulting engineers, to be able to have insights to the real emphirical problem that caused such incident.

Fantasy and fallacy always prevail... I hope Tan Sri Omar truly understand and discover the profound knowledge of the contractor's operation.

New Retirement Age - Is it good news?

850,000 civil servants may have to serve an extra 3-years if the proposal is approved by the Cabinet next month.

This move was made in order to reduce the burgeoning pension bills as the government mulls over the financial implications of a pension bill that has tripled over the last decade. The pension bill had cost the government RM4.96 billion last year, a RM3.36 billion increase over the allocation in 1994. The number of pensioners are now 513,689.

Is this a good news for civil servant? Each one has to mull over it.

For me? My God, Alhamdullilah! Why? But I am not a civil servant? Oh, it doesn't matter. It was my aspiration. It was my hope. I had always been exploring into the civil service system, musing over their level of competencies, and inparticular, the recent change of hands in JKR. There was one man who, by the grace of God, was allowed to helm this giant institution after a long "waiting" and "shadow-politiking" by the oligarch. Finally, in July, the man did arrive; he is none other than, the most highly respected, but often scorned (by politicians and his past head-master) Professor Datuk Dr. Wahid bin Omar who was made the new Director-general of PWD.

Read my earlier posting (August 5, 2005).

I have been praying to the Almighty that something must happen; this new D-G is 54, and will retire in slightly more than one year time. He will not have sufficient time in this position to make the necessary changes, and have it effectively implemented, because the system will take ake him away via the compulsory retirement at 55. One year is far too short to get change effectively implemented. It will not be possible unless his term is extended. But there is no way to extend because we had a bureaucratic system.

My prayer - "May the hands of Allah and His blessings be showered on our new leader of change."

To my delight, the first thing that caught my eyes this morning is the frontpage news in NST - RETIRE AT 58! Now it is going to happen; Alhamdullilah, praise be to God!

I would like to repeat what I had already said in my earlier article:

"This man will USHER in a NEW ERA, an era of RADICAL CHANGE for the better; a change badly needed; the change that should wake up the sleeping gaint of construction industry and cause the industry to tremble. It may be a lesser range tsunami!

Many will celebrate, but some may despair, for this man will not accept mediocrity and officers with desultory character. Those flippant and insouciant, and those with purile mindset, they now have a wake-up call - this man will trumatise you!!!!

The system needs a radical change and only a visionary leader can lead this change. There is none who I believe can do better, and have such behemoth passion in his work. This man is damn honest and straight; that's the reason many had dislike him; sorry not dislike him, but dislike his courage and persistence. He has little patience for lack of competency; he loath cronyism and he doesn't know how to carry balls of the political masters. That's the reason why he can only afford to own a terrace house for the last 30 years or so. He will remain poor till he retires; tho' not poverty per se.

But I believe, he is a man satisfied and contented for what he has and what he has acieved. May God shower him with his wisdom and love, and most of all GOOD HEALTH. May the nation benefit from the service of this man's contribution and that in the next few years, we shall see a dynamic, competent and effective administration of government projects, whereby this one and only institution of construction, this JKR, will lead the nation and pave the way to achieve tangibly, the vision 2020, bringing in the structures and framework of an effective and efficient system administration, fully manned by a new breed of highly competent engineers and scientists, and setting the benchmark for all the other institutions to follow.

Hopefully, a much needed (to be) revamped CIDB will strive to emulate the feat of JKR, if not, at least perish; what we called "Die a Natural Death" so as to relieve all the contractors of the burden to contribute to the cost of the disease administration, and the contributions thus far, are sufficient to pay for the cost of an expensive coffins.

Lets observe and do some measurement; let's greet the arrival of the performance measurement system - now you can measure and track, and we can now use the six-sigma!!!!

JKR has a New DG

JKR New DG

SILENT; Unassuming & Where are all the journalist? All are hibernating, or pretend don't know?

GOOOOOOOd New! JKR has a new Director-General!!!

He is none other than the inspirational leader, Dato' Prof Ir. Dr. Wahid Bin Omar, the former deputy D-G. He was promoted, but there's no official public announcement! I happen to visit the website of JKR and to my awe, I saw a new picture as above.

We have waited for so looooong! Now it has happen! The government has finally brought in a humble, unpretentious but a visionary leader to shakeup the system - the system that manages our roads, public assets, and government development projects. This man will bring in a new era, an era of radical change for the better; a change badly needed - the change that should wake up the sleeping gaint of construction industry and cause the industry to tremble. Many will celebrate, but some may despair, for this man will not accept mediocrity and officers with desultory character. Those flippant and insouciant, and those with purile mindset, they will have a wake-up call - this man will trumatise you!!!!

The system needs a radical change and only a visionary leader can lead this change. Over the decades, we have too much political patronages and those ex-generals had a hard time making the necessary change - it's not that in the past we have weak leaders, but we have "Hand of god" at the legislative apex and middle-heaven, making directives and dictating policies and actions and these leaders seemed obedient. There was one DG who was brave but they quickly retire him the moment he touch 55.

Today, some of the higher hands had vanished while there may still be some around, but this new man is a straight and resolute person. He feared God and he will not budge for he has no fear of men. He knows his job and his competency in project management is second to none. He is a dedicated and devoted muslim - a muslim who lead by example. He is humble and he is brunt; he is often nice but he wield swords when necessary.

I can only pray to God that this new DG be blessed with longlife to serve the nation and the rakyat. I do pray that he will have sufficient time in this position to make the changes, effectively implemented, before they take him away due to compulsory retirement.

May the hands of Allah and His blessings be showered on our new leader of change

Alhamdullilah!

PWD: "You can Manage MATRADE Project NOW"

MATRADEM PROJECT

PWD DIRECTED TO COMPLETE MATRADE BUILDING WITHIN 21 MONTHS.

On problems affecting the Malaysian External Trade and development Authority building in Jalan Duta, Samy Vellu said the contract was not awarded by the PWD. The contract had been given to Syarikat Perangsang International Sdn Bhd and it had been refusing to allow PWD officials into the project since the first day.

Now, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has directed PWD to complete and handover the building within 21 months from the date of receiving the funds from the Government. Why? It took 10 years for the Ministry of Finance to get the project to its current state of affairs and PWD is only given 21 months to finished up the mess? I believe, it must had been a promised made by the Director-General of PWD Tan Sri Zaini who had requested RM32 million from the Treasury for PWD to complete the project. Is 21 months & RM32 million sufficient to get the project completed? I hope it does; if not, Zaini will have to burn his ass to answer for it.

During the meeting attended by PAC, the Board of Architects and the PWD represented by Tan Sri Zaini, PWD promised to take legal action against the errant contractor and recover some of the losses. What???? PWD to take legal action? Samy Vellu said the contract is not awarded by PWD; how then can they take legal action against the errant contractor? Is Samy Vellu and Zaini talking about the same subject and same contract? According to Samy, Matrade was not awarded by PWD; then how can PWD take legal contractual action? Are our Ministers and D-G going NUTs? or, are they misleading us??? Please clarify!!!!!! My God, Please sent Tan Sri Zaini back to law school!!!!!