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No. 4772 PP 2644/12/2009 (023092)

Wednesday
June 3, 2009
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RM10,000
reward
Stadium roof collapses
RM270M SUKMA VENUE IN TERENGGANU COMPLETED A YEAR AGO
C M
K Y
for tip-offs
by Bernard Cheah
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

GEORGE TOWN: Civil servants who

report wrongdoings and misuse of funds
within the state administration will re-
ceive RM10,000 rewards.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the
Integrity Award (I-Award) would help
the state administration be in line with
the state government’s CAT (Compe-
tency, Accountability and Transparency)
principle.
“We want to encourage such action as
we believe CAT requires the involvement
of every officer and civil servant,” he said.
“This will help to prevent wrongdoing
and malpractices.”
Lim added that the informant would
also be considered for promotion.
He also advised civil servants to be
brave to step forward to reveal any
wrongdoing or misappropriation of funds
which cause the government to lose
money and waste resources.
“We hope to avoid cases like the
Tang Hak Ju case which caused the state
government to lose about RM40 million,”
he said.
The criteria on which report qualifies
for an I-Award will be set by newly-
appointed State Financial Officer Farizan
Darus.
Lim told reporters this after the
swearing-in ceremony of Farizan, the
former Seberang Perai Municipal Council
president, as the State Finance Officer in
Komtar yesterday.
He said the wrongdoings would then
be reported to the relevant authorities,
including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission. The identity of officers who
make the reports will not be disclosed.
He said the state government had
identified one case, but he declined to
elaborate. “We will reveal it when the
time is right.”
KUALA TERENGGANU: Just a year after it was
officially opened by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,
the roof of the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium
in Gong Badak collapsed yesterday.
In the 9.30am incident, 60% of the roof at the
stadium that was built at a cost of RM270 million
and opened on May 10 last year, collapsed,
including the part covering the royal box in the
grand stand.
Mohd Zaidi Ahmad, who was one of two
workers fixing lights at the stadium about 300m
from the collapse, said he rushed to the scene to
see if there were any casualties.
However, though there was no immediate news
of any victim, a team from the fire and rescue
department and the Civil Defence Unit were at
the scene to check if there were anyone trapped
under the rubble.
Another witness, Asmadi Hashim who lives
about 400m from the stadium, said he heard a
loud “explosion” and had initially thought it came
from an aircraft engine as the Sultan Mahmud
Airport was situated close by.
Other witnesses claimed that the roof above
the VIP area of the grand stand, including the royal
box, was the first to collapse.
A visit by Bernama to the site saw
workers clearing the debris but as of noon, no
casualties were reported. However, a number
of motorcycles and cars parked nearby were
reported to have been damaged.
Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said visited the
stadium at about 4pm.
When opened last year, just ahead of the Sukma
(Malaysian Games) that was hosted by Terengganu,
the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium stood as a
landmark for sports development in the state.
It was also the venue for a number of other
major sporting events such as the Super League
and Premier League football matches.
Terengganu Football Association officials
expressed concern over the incident as the
Terengganu and T-Team had been using the
stadium as their venue for Super League and
Premier League matches due to upgrading works
at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah stadium.
“We are worried that the Sultan Ismail Nasirud-
din Shah stadium might not be ready for our next
The roof
covering the
grandstand,
including the
royal box, is a
heap of debris.
See also page3.
match on June 16 while we are also not informed
about the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin stadium,” said
its vice-president Sheikh Tajuddin Sheikh Yusof.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
wants the Terengganu state government to con-
duct a thorough investigation into the collapse.
“Since this (stadium) is under the state gov-
ernment, they must find out if it was still under
warranty or not,” he said after closing the Titian
Gemilang V programme, organised by the Overseas
Umno Club Alumni in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Muhyiddin said it was up to the Terengganu
state government to find out “what is important
for us to know is that when it was said to have
been completed and it is still new, this happens.
The reason, only God knows”.
“Slight defects here and there is normal but
when the roof collapses, it does not show profes-
sionalism,” he said.
Muhyiddin also asked “Was the completed job
inspected and certified by the relevant authorities
through the proper procedure after conducting
investigations and tests or was is it due to an
unexpected reason? – Bernama