PRESIDENT MESSAGE – NOVEMBER 2019

Moving into the last quarter of year 2019, MBAM continues to organise trainings to enhance its members’ knowledge. MBAM Building and Construction Conference and the inaugural Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) Awareness Training were successfully organised on 29 October. MBAM Futsal Tournament 2019 also took place last month. I really hope all MBAM members will continue to support our events and participate actively in our activities. Now, let’s take a look at some of the highlights in October:

Technical Working Group (TWG) / IAPG Services Sector (Construction) Meeting No.2/2019

The above meeting was held on 1 October at Ministry of Works (MOW) Tower and I was invited to attend the meeting with Manager, Mohd Farhan. The meeting was chaired by Secretary General, Ministry of Works, Dato’ Dr. Syed Omar Sharifuddin Bin Syed Ikhsan.

The strategy paper for construction industry was presented by MOW which covers five thrusts namely; Quality, Safety & Professionalism, Environmental Sustainability, Productivity, Internationalisation and Facility Management. The feedback was gathered from each thrust and six main issues and challenges have been identified throughout the workshop which has been conducted earlier; Project Delivery, Lifecycle Performance, Sustainability, Affordability, Disaster Resilient and Flexibility/Live Ability & Well Being. In view of the relevancy of the report presented, the meeting agreed that the TWG/IAPG secretariat to forward the copy of the feedback to all members for review and given time to comment and revert for compilation.

President Foo at the TWG Meeting

Malaysian Construction Industry Excellence Awards (MCIEA) 2019

The Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) recognised the achievements of 18 industry players at the prestigious MCIEA Awards 2019 who have demonstrated the elements of quality, safety and health, productivity and sustainability in their operations on 4 October at the W Hotel Kuala Lumpur. MCIEA 2019 marks the 19^th instalment of the industry awards, recognising the achievements of top performing developers, contractors, consultants and projects, individuals as well as organisations. Introduced by CIDB Malaysia in 2000, MCIEA is the premier recognition for all-round excellence in construction and aims to encourage a sense of healthy competition by showcasing best practices in project implementation.

This year’s award is significant as it only includes 5 categories, compared to the previous 9 categories in 2018.  The judging criteria had been revised to reflect a more holistic approach to encourage industry players to continue raising the standard of the Malaysian construction, in line with the ultimate goal of the CITP.

The award ceremony was graced by the Minister of Works, YB Tuan Baru Bian. Also present were Deputy Minister of Works, YB Tuan Haji Mohd Anuar Mohd Tahir and Chairman of CIDB Malaysia, Tan Sri Dr. Ir. Ahmad Tajuddin Ali. Majority of MBAM Council Members including Deputy President, Tan Sri Sufri Hj. Mohd Zin; Immediate Past President, Datuk Matthew Tee and myself were also present to witness the award presentations.

This year, MBAM members bagged many of the top awards at the said ceremony. Sunway Construction Sdn Bhd took home the coveted “Contractor of the Year Award”, in recognition of their continuous outstanding achievements within the industry.

MBAM Vice President, Dennis Tan receiving the “CEO of the Year Award” from Works Minsiter, YB Tuan Baru Bian

Notable projects that received MCIEA accolades include Equatorial Plaza, winning the “Best Project Award – Building (Major Category)” constructed by IJM Construction Sdn Bhd, and The Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit Project: Sungai Buloh – Kajang Line won the “Best Project Award – Infrastructure (Major Category)” constructed by Tran Resources Corporation Sdn Bhd.

For medium project, MBAM member Technofit Sdn Bhd was named the “Best Project Award – Infrastructure” for their Mechanical Works Package 2 for Fast Track 3A, Manjung 5 Power Plant.

Once again, congratulations to all winners.

Conference on 25 Years of Construction Development in Malaysia… Then, Now… What Is Next?

The above event held on 11 October was organised by the Lighthouse Club of Kuala Lumpur in conjunction with their 25^th year anniversary celebration. MBAM Immediate Past President, Datuk Matthew Tee; Council Members, Chong Tat Yam and Lau Yew Mun; Executive Director, Loh Mei Ling and General Manager, Lenny Lim attended the Conference at Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), Kuala Lumpur. Datuk Matthew was the keynote speaker and presented on ‘Issues and Challenges in the Malaysian Construction Industry and the Road Forward.

Datuk Matthew delivering the keynote address

The presentation touched on the brief outlook of the Malaysian economy before zooming on into the realities of the construction industry and the challenges faced by its many players as well as some recommendations.

In conclusion, Datuk Matthew suggested the industry to adopt digitalisation and new construction technologies such as BIM and to really improve IBS implementation. Datuk Matthew also suggested to have more competitive tender and that the Government to reconsider reviving more projects and create new ones for the construction industry. There is also a need to prevent artificial inflation of prices. Moreover, the industry needs to improve competitiveness of contractors by providing more relevant trainings and to attract the new generation to enter the Malaysian construction industry.

At the end of the presentation, a memento of appreciation was presented to Datuk Matthew Tee by Lighthouse Club Kuala Lumpur President, Ronan Collins.

6^th MBAM Seminar on Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) and Workshop on Fall Prevention, Johor 2019

MBAM together with the Johor Master Builders Association (JMBA) jointly organised a 2-day Seminar on OSH and Workshop on Fall Prevention on 14 and 15 October at Holiday Villa Johor Bahru City Centre, Johor. It was attended by 90 participants and guests.

This Seminar was supported by the Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) and Social Security Organisation (SOCSO); and endorsed by National Council for Occupational Safety & Health (NCOSH) and Department of Occupational Safety & Health (DOSH).

The Seminar aimed to increase the productivity and efficiency of the construction industry by improving further the standard of amenities, facilities and quality of worksites environment while enrich awareness on the standard of safety and health at construction sites.

MBAM was honoured to have the Deputy Director General of DOSH Malaysia, Ir Zailee bin Dollah as our Guest-of-Honour for gracing and officiating the Seminar.

I was delivering the opening speech

Paper 1 presentation on “Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health in Construction Industry (Management) – OSHCIM 2017” by Deputy Director of Construction Safety of DOSH Malaysia, Ir. Mokhtar bin Sabtu

This paper emphasized on key aspect of the fundamental to future construction legislation, catalyst for improving industry’s poor OSH performance and signify policy shift which incorporated self-regulated, cooperation, performance based approach and duty holders.

Paper 2 presentation outlining on “Skim dan Faedah Perlindungan PERKESO Dibawah Akta dan Cara Permohonan yang Sebenar Untuk Tuntutan PERKESO”, presented by Executive Officer of SOCSO, Muhammad Abrar bin Othman

This paper further elaborates on schemes on social security, working disaster and Invalidity Scheme, government health care program, rehabilitations and ways to avoid job disaster. Furthermore, Abrar also introduced the Employment Insurance System (SIP) whereby how employees can apply and benefit from it.

Paper 3 was presented by Manager of CIDB Malaysia, Emasria Binti Ismail on the topic of “CIDB’s Role in Promoting Safety in Construction Works and Culture in Construction Industry”

She shared with the participants on the fatality rates in construction. Although the number of fatalities accidents at construction site has decreased compared to last year, however, Malaysia is still the highest compared to other countries. Emasria introduced the new SHASSIC assessment and also other construction safety related standards. OSHCIM regulations were also mentioned in her presentation.

Key Account Business Development Manager of Aerial Global Sdn Bhd, Alex Tan presented Paper 4 on the Safe Use of MEWPs at Works Place. This presentation focused on the importance of handling the equipment correctly and emphasizes the importance of training, not only for operating the MEWP but also training for supervisor before handling the equipment.

The last speaker for the day was Head of Occupational and Environment Health Sector, Disease Control Division from Ministry of Health Malaysia, Dr Priya Ragunath. Her presentation topic was “Workers Health, Dengue and Work Environment” whereby she focused on the importance of maintain cleanliness of the work environment to prevent illness such as Dengue which is crucial especially nowadays, during the rainy seasons.

Major Leong during his workshop presentation

Day two Workshop on Fall Prevention was facilitated by Deputy Chairman 2 of MBAM Safety & Health Committee, Major (Rtd) Leong Yee Keong. This full day workshop emphasized on the roles of employers in Fall Prevention, how Fall Prevention and Construction Site Safety can benefit from Industry Revolution 4.0, OSHCIM integration into enhancement of Fall Prevention strategies and legal requirements, fall prevention strategies and what went wrong in the industry.

This two full day seminar and workshop was beneficial and essential for all construction safety personnel who are responsible for occupational safety and health.

Meeting with Representatives of Malaysian Senators’ Council (MSC)

Representatives of Malaysian Senators’ Council (MSC) comprising of its President, Dato’ Sri Khairudin Bin E.S. Abd Samad; Special Officer to President, Chew Yoon Ee and  Advisor to President, Yong Yee Coi visited MBAM on 16 October.

The meeting discussed on how to make the construction industry more efficient and not to waste valuable resources especially on processes that raises cost of doing business unnecessarily as well as long term unresolved issues such as unfair contract terms, improvements to the Construction Industry Payment and Adjudication Act (CIPAA) 2012, recruitment of workers and issues related to GST.

MBAM requested for MSC to help facilitate a meeting with Minister in Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Liew Vui Keong to further discuss on how some of the outstanding issues faced by the industry can be mitigated or resolved.

MBAM was represented by Immediate Past President, Datuk Matthew Tee; Vice President, Oliver Wee; Council Member, Datuk Astaman Abdul Aziz; and Secretariat.

MBAM Futsal Tournament 2019

MBAM Futsal Tournament held on 19 October at Pan Futsal, Petaling Jaya. The event attracted the participation of 17 teams in the 6^th series of MBAM Futsal Tournament.

Council Member and MBAM Chairman of Outreach Committee, Dato’ Alex Wee delivered the welcome speech. In his speech, Dato’ Alex extended his warm welcome to all participants to the MBAM Futsal Tournament 2019 and he hoped everyone will compete in the spirit of fair play and respect the rules and the opponents. He also said that one of the key objectives of the tournament was to foster unity among members from various backgrounds through sports.

MBAM started organising sporting events as part of our outreach to Members in 2014, to serve as a platform to unite members through sports activities. MBAM Council Members, Chong Tat Yam and Datuk Astaman Abdul Aziz also turned up at the tournament to support their respective teams.

After a day of tough and punishing match schedules the winners are as follows:-

Champion: Teropong Muda – MMC Gamuda KVMRT (T) Sdn Bhd

First Runner Up: ASB2 – Al -Ambia Sdn Bhd

Second Runner Up: Gamuda – Gamuda Berhad

Third Runner Up: Taghill Football Club – Taghill Projects Sdn Bhd

The final was interesting with a score of 2 all for the finalist Al Ambia Sdn Bhd (ASB2) and MMC Gamuda KVMRT (T) Sdn Bhd (Teropong Muda). However, after a penalty shootout Teropong Muda scored 3-2 against ASB2 which was a thrilling finale.

The Organising Committee wishes to thank the main sponsor, Premier Construction Sdn Bhd.

This tournament honed players’ futsal skills as well as developed better understanding and acceptance among all members aside from having much fun and laughter. It also created a great sporting platform for MBAM members to get to know each other.

2020 Budget Seminar – Key Budget Changes Impacting Construction Industry

The annual MBAM 2020 Budget Seminar was held on 24 October in collaboration with Deloitte Malaysia. The presentation was split into two sessions with the attendance of 30 participants. MBAM Honorary Advisor (Taxation) and Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte Malaysia, Yee Wing Peng delivered and elaborated on the overall 2020 Budget during the first session which covered on the 2020 macro-economy view, budget allocation and the comparison of tax collections on GDP. He further highlighted the key changes on taxes and tax incentives.

Session 1 by Yee

During the panel discussion, there were concerns from the participants that some of the government scheme may or may not be beneficial for construction sector. Participants took the opportunity to enquire about the role of MBAM in related to the concerns in construction industry. MBAM Secretary-General, Eric Yong and Council Member cum Deputy Chairman of Finance Committee, Tan Zi Ni were given the privilege to join the Session 2 panel discussion which we shared on some of the latest construction related news to all the participants.

During the panel discussion

MBAM Building and Construction Conference (BCC) 2019

The organising committee of BCC 2019 has successfully organised the MBAM Building and Construction Conference 2019 on 29 October at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. The event, a third since the inaugural edition in 2017, was organised in conjunction with the MBAM OneBuild 2019 Exhibition which was held from 29 to 31 October at the same venue.

I delivered the welcome remark thanking the Guest of Honour for making time for the event and welcome all attendees to the Conference.

The event was officiated by the Chairman of CIDB Malaysia, Tan Sri Dr Ir Ahmad Tajuddin Ali, representing the Works Minister, YB Tuan Baru Bian. The event was also attended by Chief Executive of CLAB Malaysia, Abdul Rafik Abd Rajis and more than 230 attendees.

There was a total of 10 paper presentations and a forum panel discussion with the theme Embracing Digitalisation to Ameliorate Competitiveness in Construction Industry Focusing on Time, Financial and Sustainability.

Tan Sri Tajuddin also launched the Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) Awareness Training during the opening ceremony, before going down to the exhibition halls to officially launch the MBAM OneBuild 2019 Exhibition with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The closing remarks was delivered by the MBAM Vice President and Organising Chairman of BCC 2019, Steven Shee. He thanked all the speakers for the interesting presentations and summarised key takeaways for the attendees.

MBAM MEWP Awareness Training (1^st and 2^nd Intake)

MBAM in collaboration with International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) organised the very first of Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) training for Members and industry players. The 1^st and 2^nd intake were successfully completed on 29 October with 23 participants at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. The trainers for the training were IPAF Regional General Manager, Raymond Wat and representative, Alex Tan.

This course was designed for personnel who are:

• Working in a broad range of industries such as construction, facilities management, retail and manufacturing.
• Supervisors who are responsible for planning and overseeing the safe use of MEWPs on their job sites.

The objectives of this training were to expose awareness to the participants on the current legislation, different types and classification of MEWPs, importance of correct machines selection, and to ensure the participants be able to select the correct PPE for the operators. It is hope that after attending this session, participants will have a greater knowledge and awareness of the safe operation of MEWPs.

MBAM Human Resources Committee is also organising the Conference on “Human Resources Management in the Construction Industry – The Way Forward” on 26 November at Holiday Villa Subang Jaya. I hope to see you all there.

FOO CHEK LEE JMW

MBAM President