MPAJ must apply to Works Ministry to make report public

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) must seek the permission of the Works Ministry before making public the contents of the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide investigations report.

Speaking to reporters on Nov 24, Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor said as long as the MPAJ has not made an application to make the report public, the status of the report remained a “secret” under the Official Secrets Act 1972.

He was commenting on the attempt by Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to circulate copies of the report to the public.

On a separate matter, Shaziman told reporters after attending the ministry's Deepavali celebrations that the Finance Ministry's circular to classify government projects that have been delayed by more than 20 per cent as sick projects will only be enforced beginning June 2010.

On Sept 1, the Finance Ministry issued a circular asking the Public Works  Department and other agencies to classify any project whose completion had been delayed by more than 20 per cent or two months as a sick project. Previously, a project was categorised as sick when the completion delay exceeded 30 per cent or three months after the scheduled date of completion.

"For ongoing projects, the Ministry would only enforce it in June 2010. For projects tendered out after early September, the circular will be enforced immediately," he said. - Bernama