HRH the Sultan, the royal family and many could have been victims of this 1-year old Stadium collapse - Independent Public Inquiry, please

How lucky the UMNO-led BN government that the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Gong Badak, Kuala Trengganu collapsed when there was no occasion in the said Stadium...

HRH Sultan of Trengganu, the royal family and a lot of people could have been seriously injured or even killed when the roof of the stadium collapsed..

The roof on the stadium’s left wing was ravaged after the iron frame structure supporting the 300m-long roof destabilised, causing it to fold. The affected zones were the main entrance, royal podium and the public seating area. - Star, 3/6/2009, Workers escape in the nick of time as roof of year-old stadium collapses

And, still we do not understand why the contractors, engineers and architects are being protected - why they have not even been named in the various reports. Is it just a case of poor journalism or poor investigative journalism, or is the media not reporting this because they have been 'advised' not to - and comply they must for fear of the permits being lost..

Trengganu Royal Commission of Inquiry must be set up to investigate this affair and tell us the truth...

I wonder whether the same contractor is still getting projects from the UMNO led- BN government...are there any other recent projects by the same people. I will be scared to be in any buildings build by these people...Be open - disclose everything.

Remember also the Jaya Supermaket, PJ incident - and here too we were not told who were the companies involved...WHY?

The problem with the allocation of contracts to a main contractor who sub-contracts to A, who sub-contracts to B, who sub-contracts to C, who sub-contracts to D is that money that should be used to get the best quality building materials and building crew finally gets so shrunk that the contractor who finally has to do the real building may have only 50% of the sum allocated to work on - and that is when problems arise, 'corners are cut' and buildings collapse.

This stadium, according to the Star report, cost RM460 million (maybe even more, for it is uncertain that this really is the amount spend). I also wonder why an additional RM50 million was given because of rise in cost of building materials - Surely when an agreement is signed, that it it. If prices drop, then the contractor profits more. If prices of building materials soar, then the contractor's profit shrinks. Surely any person who forwards a quotation takes into consideration possible price increases - in fact, many also already make advance orders from suppliers (or have already fixed-price agreements with suppliers). I really do not understand why the government has to fork out an additional RM50 million because prices of building materials soar. Will the contractor return money to the government if prices of building materials drop? I think not. Investigate this additional RM50 million allocation as well, Mr MACC (Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission).

Now, they tell us that the cost of repairs is going to be RM25million (that could have been used to provide about 750 poor families free homes) -

The damage at the east wing has been estimated at RM25mil....“The stadium is still under warranty and the contractor will bear the cost of the remedial works,” he [Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Mansor] said, adding that the incident had tarnished the reputation of the country. - Star, 3/6/2009, Workers escape in the nick of time as roof of year-old stadium collapses

But, thankfully, it is still under warranty and the contractor will have to bear the cost of remedial work... But, will the contractor? If the contractor is a company, then they may quickly wind-up the company...for after all, we are talking about a building construction company, who really would not have much of assets like land, etc..Then, the shareholders, the CEO and Directors will just set up another company and move on...If the government blacklists the company, then it may only be the company - not the the shareholders, the CEO and Directors or their new companies. That is why, the government must openly tell us the name of the company responsible, the name of its SEO, its Directors and principle shareholders (and, if a 'blacklisting' is to be done, then it should go beyond just the said company but should also be all companies where the said persons are involved...).

We cannot do that - Why? because maybe the persons behind the company are important ..connected people. Maybe, Najib or the MB has a great stake in the company...Open disclosure please...

See also the earlier posting entitled Another 'projek kerajaan Barisan Nasional' collapses...

Billed as the pride of the state, the RM300mil Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Gong Badak suffered a major blow when its roof collapsed yesterday – just a year after it was opened.

No one was injured in the 9am incident, but the stadium, which was the venue for Sukma (Malaysian Games) last year, has been declared unsafe.

Declared unsafe: The Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium after its roof collapsed yesterday. — Bernama

The damage at the east wing has been estimated at RM25mil.

The impact of the collapse was so loud that an employee at the stadium thought that a plane had crashed-landed on it.

“I shivered when I heard the deafening sound,” stadium administration officer Noor-kumarasari Jamil, 31, said.

She panicked and screamed for her colleagues to leave the office as the Sultan Mahmud Airport was situated near to the stadium.

Noorkumarasari said her superior directed all the employees to vacate the office and take shelter at a nearby indoor stadium.

Damaged: Workers looking at the collapsed structure of the RM300mil Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Gong Badak, Terengganu. The affected zones are the main entrance, royal podium and the public seating area.

General worker Hajjah Shafar, 32, said she was terrified when she saw the roof structure tumbling down.

“I was sweeping the floor at the west wing of the stadium when the roof collapsed,” she said. “I just ran for my life.”

Nineteen workers, mostly cleaners, were at the stadium but they managed to flee to safety.

The stadium is part of the modern Gong Badak sports complex, which was built at an initial cost of RM250mil but the amount surged by an additional RM50mil due to soaring prices of building materials.

The indoor stadium, which is also part of the complex, was built at a cost of RM160mil.

The roof on the stadium’s left wing was ravaged after the iron frame structure supporting the 300m-long roof destabilised, causing it to fold. The affected zones were the main entrance, royal podium and the public seating area.

A Kancil car and three motorcycles were also damaged by the debris.

Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Mansor, who visited the site, said the Construction and Industrial Development Board, a wing under the ministry, had been tasked to form a team comprising architects to determine the cause of the catastrophe.

“It’s premature to point fingers at any party, including the contractor responsible for erecting the roof structure, until the outcome of the investigation.

“The stadium is still under warranty and the contractor will bear the cost of the remedial works,” he said, adding that the incident had tarnished the reputation of the country.

State Fire and Rescue Department director Puazan Ahmad said they received a distress call at 9.45am, and 25 personnel were sent to the site.- Star, 3/6/2009, Workers escape in the nick of time as roof of year-old stadium collapses