Pak Lah wants weekly checks on govt buildings

The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The Prime Minister has directed heads of government departments to conduct weekly checks on their buildings, assets and facilities.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said yesterday thatthe departments must have in place inspection teams to check not only cleanliness but also the buildings’ safety.

“The checks should be on a rotational basis so that there is a consciousness among all team members on the need to upkeep the buildings.

“Those tasked with the job must make it their duty and habit to check the buildings regularly and if they detect defects, repair them immediately,” he said at the launch of the two-day National Assets and Facilities Management Convention (Nafam).

Abdullah admiring a memento featuring a picture of himself and his wife, Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah, given to him by Advanced Maintenance Precision Management managing director Datuk Yahya A. Jalil (third from left) after the Prime Minister opened Nafam at Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. Also present are Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu (left) and Public Works Department director-general Datuk Dr Judin Abdul Karim.

Stern action should be taken against anyone, including government officers, who failed to carry out this duty, he added.

Abdullah said that contractors appointed to maintain buildings must have the calibre, efficiency, experience and proper equipment.

“When we appoint them we must make sure they are responsible people who know their stuff. Do not treat it like a cheap contract given to someone who just wants to make money,” he said.

He also said that he had directed the Public Works Department to come up with a more effective and efficient procedural framework to improve the management of national assets and facilities.

The framework would be the basis for a plan of action to include a clear guideline and detailed regulation for a system for the management of assets and facilities, he said.

Abdullah also said that Malaysians were very good when it came to wanting the best of facilities but they had a poor maintenance culture.

“We don’t care for things that do not belong to us or that they are not our homes. But poor maintenance can lead to nasty accidents, and this is what we want to prevent,” he said.

“We have been hearing of leaking roofs, cracks on highways, buildings that do not meet standards and other problems relating to maintenance and management.

“These shouldn’t happen as they create a negative perception of the performance and capabilities of the public and private sectors,” he said.