MB: Contractor to blame for collapse, not goverment

Ahmad Said did not state if action would be taken against the contractor, but instead chided the opposition for its attempt to blame his administration for the controversy. – File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 - Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said has absolved his government of blame for the second collapse of the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium roof, blaming the contractor in charge of repairing the structure instead.

He said the contractor, who was appointed after the stadium’s first collapse in 2009, had failed to observe the preliminary agreement with the state government.

Malay daily Sinar Harian reported Ahmad as pointing out that the contractor was supposed to use four cranes for the reparatory works, instead of just one, adding this may have caused the wreck.

“I perceive this incident was caused by the weaknesses of the contractor,” the paper quoted him as saying.

“In our discussion, it was agreed that there should  be at least four big cranes to support the roof structure but they had used only one instead”.

The mentri besar also accused the contractor of being careless in executing the project, alleging that the company may have wanted to cut cost and profit by using only a single crane for the job.

“To me the structure collapsed because of the contractor’s carelessness. Maybe they had wanted to profit more, so they chose not to use more cranes,” he added.

The eastern roof section of the RM292 million stadium first collapsed in 2009, resulting in repairs estimated at RM15 million.

The same roof structure fell again at around 11.30am two days ago, injuring five workers with two of them said to be in critical condition.

The contractor had started the repair works three years ago and it was scheduled to be completed this Sunday.

Two days ago, state Infrastructure Development and Public Amenities Committee chairman Datuk Za’abar Mohd Adib said initial investigations showed the collapse was due to the frail main roof structure caused by the removal of the middle framework.

The contractor of the RM 1.7 million repair project will bear the losses incurred in the incident, he added.

Ahmad Said, however, did not state if action would be taken against the contractor. He instead chided the opposition for its attempt to blame his administration for the controversy.

“We shouldn’t be blamed. When there is no strong support, it will collapselah. Not because the stadium itself is weak,” said the state’s Umno chief.

The stadium was officiated by then Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin on Mei 10, 2008.

In 2010, Ahmad Said revealed that the 2009 roof collapse was cause by the contractor’s failure to meet specifications set in the contract.

The construction of the stadium was done under the supervision of the Works Department (JKR).