PWD Finally Wakes Up To Contractor Abuse.

The Public Works Department (PWD) is reviewing the terms of construction contracts with contractors to enable it to take legal action against the main contractors who fail to pay the sub-contractors.

This follows a directive from Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu last week in response to the delay or failure of the main contractors to pay the sub-contractors, who are mostly Class F contractors.

He said a new term would be included in the contract where the main contractors would be allowed to sub-contract minor works to other contractors only after obtaining approval from the PWD officer in charge of supervising the projects.

Under the present system, the main contractors are free to sub-contract minor works to other contractors without any agreement.

The main contractors are by and large Malay and the Class F almost to a man is also Malay. Whither the NEP if the luckier and wealthier Malays have hitherto been allowed to shaft their less rich brethren? The papers have all this while been reporting so many sob stories from the sub-contractors, both Bumi and non-Bumi, but it seems only now that the Works Ministry has taken notice of it. In anycase its never too late and hopefully the avaricious big time contractors abusing their privileges will be hauled in and punished appropriately.

How are the small time Bumis to come up if the well-connected and wealthier Malay sapus everything on the plate? At this rate, the poor Malay will continue to remain poor for a long time to come,while the rich fellow hogs the limelight and the cash. Surely this is not what the New Economic Policy (NEP) intended. No wonder the NEP is now popularly known as the Never Ending Policy!

The full report here: PWD To Review Contract Terms To Overcome Payment Problems.