vox populi small thumbnail'Who knows what the engineer had to endure, how many pockets he had to fill, how many dubious reports he had to write...?'

Engineer charged over T'ganu stadium collapse

Swipenter: Consulting engineer Wan Manan Wan Ali is now made the only scapegoat in this whole debacle. Poor fellow. What about those responsible, from scrutinising to approving the tender and those doing actual work? Seriously, this is what accountability means in 1Umno Malaysia and it sucks big, big time.

The big fishes are always immunised against all sorts of investigations into shoddy works, overpriced contracts, goods and services and alleged acts of corruption.

No wonder Global Financial Integrity (GFI) pointed out to us we had US$291 billion transferred overseas illegally over a period of eight short years.

Lover Boy: What charge is that "lying and fraudulently acting as an official qualified to issue a document dated Jan 15, 2009"?

What the public wants to know is whether this person is a qualified engineer. If he is qualified, was he the appointed engineer by the authorities? In the event this man is qualified, then the collapse could be some other technical reasons where the Public Works Department would have to look at.

For instance, the concrete did not meet the correct specification, such as more sand than cement, undersized steel bars, etc. In PWD, sometimes the contractor greases them so well that the SO (supervising officer) of the project can close both eyes and let all this abuses to happen.

P Dev Anand Pillai: Why charge the poor engineer? It is the entire system that needs to be overhauled. The Public Works Department (PWD) must be held responsible.

Who knows what the poor engineer had to endure, how many pockets he had to fill, how many dubious reports he had to write to cover the low quality of building materials that he had to manage with and the datelines that he had to meet in order to satisfy the higher-ups?

It is all not the fault of the engineer. If corruption can be stopped, we can build many Stadium Merdekas, which is still standing up till today. So don't blame the poor engineer, it is institutional corruption that needs to be blamed.

Anonymous_40a7: He's lucky that the roof did not collapse during Sukma's opening or its closing ceremony, or else he'll be facing the gallows instead of iron bars.

Cala: To the best of my knowledge, a qualified engineer is required under the law (the Engineers' Act, Street Drainage and Building Act, and Local Government Act) to certify that certain structures have been designed to the prescribed practice such as according to certain engineering design codes as approved.

In addition, he is also the supervising engineer having supervised the work on site. If he has fulfilled the said requirements, no one can fault him no matter what happen to the structures.

In the case of collapse of roof of the stadium in Kuala Terengganu, it is probable that Wan Manan has erred in not complying with one or two of the said provisions. If he is found guilty, his name will be de-registered from the list of professional engineers.

Ibnshah: Let's hope this engineer spills the beans when this case comes up for hearing. Let's see who he will implicate in order to escape the chopping block.

Arbee: As I understand it, a consultant is appointed to design a system, and then at construction stage, the client shall make a special position (not covered in the appointment of consultant) site engineers to supervise the construction on a daily basis, i.e. the site engineer is positioned at the site office and shall continuously supervise, inspect the fabrication, placement of construction components into the building in question.

In most cases, the appointment of such site engineers is a sore point as the client sometimes refuses to meet the consultant-recommended requirements like the appointed site engineer's salary, experience and other benefits.

In the end, the PWD may decide to supervise the project, in which case the proceedings at site is out of the control of the consultant engineer.

If that is the status for this project, then the consultant engineer cannot be held responsible for any irregularities at site. If this project was based on a ‘design-built' basis, it's a different case.

Rocky: Well if he is a PE (professional engineer) then, yes, he should shoulder most of the blame. Think twice before you sign off on shoddy work, PEs, because you will be charged first. Do not compromise on professional integrity.

Long Jaafar: If the engineer was not qualified and yet he signed off the designs, then not only he should be charged, but also whoever appointed him on the first place.

Sashigaran Sivathasan: God help us when Malaysia decides to build nuclear power plants.


Court dodges clash over Teoh verdict review

Albert_37fb: The letter from the AG states that he wants to push for a verdict of suicide. Why am I not surprised? It looks that the AG is really getting big-headed, thinking that he is more important and powerful than the royal commission of inquiry (RCI).

And not surprisingly, the PM Najib Abdul Razak and law minister Nazri Abdul Aziz are both elegantly silent on this gross abuse of power by the AG. He is wasting taxpayers' money in using the court's time which seems to be powerless to rule against him.

Pity Him: The attorney-general (AG) said the verdict should be suicide. How convenient. Let's change the scenario and say that it was his family member who died under such circumstance. Would he accept suicide as the reason and close the case?

Disgraceful and utter nonsense. The public actually wants a verdict of murder by unknown and mysterious people lurking in that building.

AnakBangsaMalaysia: So, now that the Tenang by-election is over, the AG is free to push for his desired verdict of ‘suicide' in order to continue the cover-up and protect MACC and the people who killed Beng Hock.

Once the desired verdict is obtained, Najib is then clear to disband the royal commission of inquiry since the RCI ‘will no longer be necessary, as the court has ruled that it was a suicide'. See the ‘sincerity' of Najib Razak being played out in broad daylight.

MySecret: I guess the PM will say, "Look, I kept my side of the bargain. It's the AG who decides whether they want to ignore the RCI and pursue a different course. I don't tell the AG what to do. Malaysia practices separation of powers between the judiciary and executive. We are, after all, a democratic country."


Syariah judge charged with 'khalwat'

Anonymous_408d: I knew it. Syariah court judges are just as human as the rest. Oh, great going, judge. You should be judged by all those whom you had previously sentenced for khalwat.

Victor Johan: They were ‘caught' in the state government quarters. Whose house was it? Were they ‘caught' in the act of performing sex or were just in the same house. So who reported the act? Was it a set-up against the judge? Let's tune in on Feb 22 to find out if justice will be done.

Ida Bakar: How does it feel being at the receiving end of your own snoop squad, eh?

 

 

 

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