Master Builders Association unaware of cartel
PETALING JAYA: The Master Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM) has expressed shock over the existence of a project tender cartel that has allegedly monopolised projects from ministries and government agencies since 2014.
MBAM president Tan Sri Sufri Mohd Zin said the association learnt about the cartel via news reports following the arrests of the cartel’s mastermind and members by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
“To be honest, if there were no arrests made, we wouldn’t even know about this issue. Now we’ll have to see what the attorneygeneral will do, whether such activities are accepted or indeed illegal, we don’t know.
“Sometimes, in other parts of the world, doing business along such lines is about how smart one acts within the confines of the law, but where our laws are concerned, we cannot say otherwise.”
He said the association would wait for the outcome of the probe before commenting further.
He said the revelation was an eye-opener and something the government must take note of.
“The government has to be more careful, more selective and apply stringent conditions and rules to avoid such cases from happening again.
“We welcome what the government decides. Hopefully, it will deter those with bad intentions as it will help the rest of us.”
Sufri was speaking at MBAM’s 19th Safety and Health Conference here yesterday.
In attendance was Alliance for Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, who was given the MBAM Golden Helmet Award 2021 for his contributions to the construction industry and for putting safety first in his leadership.
Present was Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) director-general Zailee Dollah.
Zailee said in light of recent developments in the construction industry, DOSH had embraced the use of modern technology, such as drones and body cameras, to ensure safer working environments at construction sites.
He said at the department level, DOSH had been using drones in the last few years to inspect construction sites, especially highrise developments.
He said DOSH was procuring state-of-the-art artificial intelligence equipment and tools to help it work more efficiently.
“We have provided some of our officers and personnel with body cameras to improve their integrity and to record observations during inspections for a more informed point of reference for further action later on.”
Zailee said in 2017, DOSH introduced the Occupational Safety and Health in Construction Industry Management (OSHCIM) approach, in which safety was not solely the responsibility of contractors, but also developers, clients and architects.
He said this ensured shared responsibility from the pre-construction and design stages to ensure construction goes smoothly, projects are finished on time and with no incidents or accidents.
He said OSHCIM was in the final stage of review with the Attorney-General’s Chambers.