JANUARY 2004
Complimentary Copy
ISSU
E 3
www.hssgroup.com.my
KDN PP 8664/12/2003
ISO Certified
HSSPM
WESTPORTA Layman’s Experience
BEROGA INCINERATOR The Treatment Plant
PENANG BRIDGELane Widening
TUN DR MAHATHIRTributes from HSS Staff
SPORTS & ANNUAL DINNEREvents that went by
EDITIO
EDITORIAL CORNER
Datuk Ir. Kuna
Sittampalam
Ms. Bonnie Chong
Dr. Chow Chee Onn
Ms. Jadryn Loh
Mr. Anand
Ms. Anita Mohammad
Mr. L. Yoogarajah
Editor-in-Chief
Editor
Technical Editor
Staff Writer
Graphic Designer
Cover Designer
Publisher
Printed by
Wisma HSS Integrated,
B1 (1-4), Block B, Plaza Dwitasik,
No. 21, Jalan 5/106,
Bandar Sri Permaisuri,
56000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03 - 9173 0355 Fax: 03 - 9173
0939
Akitiara Corporation Sdn. Bhd
No.1 & 3, Jalan TPP 1/3,
Taman Industri Puchong, Batu 12,
47100 Puchong, Selangor.
Tel: 03 - 8061 9988 Fax: 03 - 8061
9933
We welcome feedback and comments on
any of the topics featured. Sensitivity to
any of the articles is apologised. If you
wish to be on our mailing list, please
email your details to
Thank you.
EDITOR’S NOTE
In the feature article entitled “Dedicated
Highway: An Indication of our Dedication”
published in Editio 2, HSSI was not the Design
and Build Contractor. It should have read,
“HSSI was appointed to manage the Design
and Build construction services for the
Dedicated Highway”. We apologise for the
printing error.
PRINTING ERROR
that truly put Malaysia unto the “Map of the
World”, we shall miss him. Alas, we must
embrace the fact that he too needs to
retire. As we embark into 2004, we
welcome our new Prime Minister, YAB
Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to the
helm. Renown for his diplomacy and calm
amidst the storm, we are truly blessed by
his wisdom and experience.
As usual, we would like to share our
blessings with everyone. Through our
involvement in numerous projects, either
in a big or small way; we believe that as
engineers, we have indeed contributed to
the growth and the economy of this
country. Our work truly has taken a deeper
meaning and value, as many of the
infrastructure projects we helped to
develop over the years, are applauded
today for their many intangible positive
spin-offs such as, better socio-economic
opportunities and higher standards of
living for the people.
Never one to be resting on her laurels, HSS
Group is poised to continuously improve
and upgrade to meet all challenges in the
coming year. Most importantly, we truly
wish to thank all our valued clients,
suppliers and friends for the support
shown to us in 2003 and we look forward to
continuously serving you better in 2004.
Last but not least, on behalf of the
Management of the HSS Group of
Companies, I would like to take this
opportunity to wish all our readers a Very
Happy and Healthy 2004!!
Yours Sincerely,
Datuk Ir. Kuna Sittampalam
Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director
P/S This pix of me is merely my Halloween costume. I’m actually quite an angel!
As we usher in 2004, we can truly look back
at 2003 as a very eventful year, both locally
and internationally. As we braved through
calamities and uncertainties, one thing is
certain; as Malaysians, we are resilient!
Reflecting back on 2003, we must be
thankful for lessons learnt, in addition to the
peace and stability experienced in this
country.
In this issue of EDITIO, we pay tribute to our
out-going Prime Minister, YAB Tun Dr
Mahathir Mohamed. A great leader
Greetings from EDITIO...
editorial committee wishes to thank our engineers and staff for all their articles, jokes and contributions, not forgetting the Sports Club committee for their sports and social activity updates.
Editio is a bi-annual newsletter, published by HSS Integrated Sdn. Bhd. Consulting Engineers (173265-T).
DR. CHOW
ANAND
JADRYN
THE EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
ANITA
Message from the Editorial
YOGA
BONNIE
DATUKKUNA
HSSPM
HUMOUR
HAPPENINGS
CORPORATE AFFAIRS
JOKES ASIDE
Sports ClubCALENDAR OF EVENTS 2004
PHUKET PARADISE
THE NIGHT THE DEAD WALKED!
OTHER EVENTS THAT WENT BY
SPECIAL HIGHLIGHTS
ANOTHER MILESTONE
for Dr. C.O.Chow
Contents
is ISO Certified!Both these quality certifications
have added value and placed HSSPM
in the global market for Project
Management Services.
Despite the shortage of resources
within HSSPM during the course of
development of this Quality
Management S ystem, Ir. P.
Vimalanathan, General Manager
(HSSPM) is in the opinion that the
SIRIM/UKAS certification would not
have been possible if not for the
support from the management and
resources from the HSS Group.
Lastly, HSSPM would like to thank
Dr. Yeap Ming Keong, the Group's
Quality Assurance Manager and his
team of qualified trained staff for
their dedication throughout the
whole exercise.
CONGRATULATIONS HSSPM!
COVER STORY
SPECIAL TRIBUTE
DID YOU KNOW..?
BEROGA
Thermal Waste Treatment Plant
A TYPICAL GUIDE to Types of Incinerators
IN MY OPINION
TRIBUTES from HSS Staff
THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA
DATUK IR. SHANTHA KUMAR
Board Member of BEM
THE CITIGROUP CENTER
THE BANKRUPTCY (Amendment) Bill 2003
HSS Project Management Sdn
Bhd (HSSPM) is proud to
announce its recent achievement -
the ISO 9001:2000 Quality
Management certification. With
globalisation approaching, HSSPM
has placed itself as one of the
quality management certified
companies to meet challenges in
the international market for the
provision of Project Management
Services.
Upon fulfilling the Adequacy Audit threquirements on 4 July 2003,
HSSPM moved further to adhere to
the compliance audit conducted by th thSIRIM on 29 and 30 September
2003. This led to the successful
achievement of the SIRIM and the
United Kingdom Accreditation
Service (UKAS) certifications. Fe
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4FEATURE ARTICLES
HSSPM is ISO Certified!
WESTPORTA Layman’s (or a Woman’s) Experience
PENANG BRIDGE WIDENING
0ROADS THROUGH 20c
Project Lojing to Pos Blau
DRIVING TO PORT DICKSON...?
Project Pasir Panjang to Linggi
EMERGENCY WORKS onSungai Langat & Sungai Semenyih Bridge
WATER IN THE FUTURE
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3
6
7
1
Our ferry departed from a temporary
jetty at LBT 4 construction site. From
this jetty, we were fortunate enough to
witness the on-going piling activities
plus the launching of the first 28m pre-
stressed beams!!
We witnessed the many aspects of the
port operations, from vessels being
pulled in by tug boats, to containers
being lifted by huge container cranes,
which stretched out to 59m towards the
sea! The material handling equipments
were equally busy with the loading and
unloading activities at the docks,
supervised by many serious looking
stevedores.
Dr. Chow, being the meticulous person
he normally is, was literally on all fours
showing, explaining and demonstrating
the engineering aspects of the whole
setup. He kept saying “Bonnie, take this
picture, take that picture… I will explain
later.” “Okay, okay”, I muttered.
Every function has its purpose,
orchestrating the whole port network
and operations to the final note. Thus,
while we assumed that many of our
imported goods conveniently pop up
at shops for us to buy: the many,
many layers of services, especially
engineering services involved in
getting the goods to the shelves, were
by no means, modest.
Yes, I was overwhelmed. Further-
more, the long-limbed container
crane structures overlooking the pier
dwarfed us into thinking that we were
on the set of the ‘STAR WARS’ movie-
“The Attack of the Clones”.
Since its operations 8 years ago,
Westport has grown leaps and
bounds. The tremendous promotional
efforts of the Westport management
and the Ministry of Transport, has won
Westport many accolades and
recognitions for its performance in the
international scene.
Westport is perpetually growing and
expanding, so much so that studies
for land reclamation and soil
investigation works, both on the land
“Every function has its
purpose, orchestrating
the whole port network...”
WESTPORTA layman's (or a woman's) experience
Written By: Bonnie Chong, Business Dev. & Corp. Comm. Manager
As the saying goes, you will never
know… until you experienced it
yourself.
This was exactly how I felt recently
when I toured Westport with seven
other colleagues. We often tend to
take things for granted, even ports. I
must confess, I am guilty as charged.
Armed with my camera, I came
prepared though… to be awed.
HSS Integrated Sdn Bhd (HSSI)
has been inv olved with the
development of Westport since 1992,
providing consultant engineering and
design services for the ov erall
Westport Development, which
included liquid bulk handling, storage
facilities, multi-purpose cargo and
container berths. To date, HSSI
oversaw the completion of container
terminals (CT) 1, 2 and 3.* Currently,
HSSI is involved in the design and
implementation of Liquid Bulk
Terminal (LBT) 4, which has the
capacity to accommodate vessels of
up to 120,000 DWT in capacity; and
CT 4 which can cater for container
vessels of up to 10,000 TEU in
capacity.
The best way to view Westport is
perhaps, from the sea. With Dr. Chow,
our Senior General Manager (who
knows the port like the back of his
hand) and Ir. Muslim, our Resident
Engineer of LBT 4 as our guides, we
sailed our ferry into the sunset...
(Hello… It was after all 6pm then).
And I was.
Overhead container crane in action
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Attack of the Clones
Going forward...
Reclamation works (Dr. Chow’s finger doubling up as pointer!)
and in the channel has been ongoing. As
it so happens, HSSI is providing
consultancy services for the current land
reclamation work that includes engi-
neering investigation works of both
* For more details on our projects in Westport,
please visit our website at www.hssgroup.com.my
Penang, or better known as the
Pearl of the Orient, is one of the
most picturesque and charming
cities of the East. Established as the
first British trading post in 1786,
Penang today is a bustling and colourful
city reflecting a unique yet exotic blend
of both the East and West.
The state of Penang consists of the
island of Penang and a strip of land on
the mainland linked by the Penang
Bridge, one of the longest bridges in
Asia at 13.5km. HSS Integrated Sdn
Bhd (HSSI) was appointed by Penang
Bridge Sdn Bhd to undertake the
preliminary engineering study and
detailed design of the widening works
to the existing Penang Bridge. With an
approximate project value of RM400
million, the project is undertaken in
accordance and specifically phased to
meet requirements of the Terms of
Reference (TOR).
It is mandatory to conduct the
preliminary engineering study for the
widening of the third lane on the
Penang Bridge, as the additional load
imposed due to widening may exceed
the structural capacity of the sub-
structure of the existing bridge.
In addition, construction activities may
also affect the stability of the existing
foundation and possibly worsen current
traffic conditions. Hence, the pre-
liminary engineering study on the
widening of the Penang Bridge will
concentrate on the following aspects :
PENANG BRIDGE WIDENINGContributed By : Anand, Senior Engineer
land and marine based studies. In
addition, Dr. Chow commented that
Westport is proposing to extend the
wharf by another 2.4km from the
current CT3.
As we headed back to our docking area,
I checked with our tour guides on what
else Westport is famous for.
“Fishing and seafood”. On that note, we
dutifully marched to Teluk Gong for
dinner.
With a preliminary engineering study
underway ensuring the best and most
cost effective widening solution,
paradise favourites like Nyonya
cuisine, Penang char kway teow and
Penang laksa, amongst others, will be
easily accessible and in less time and
traffic in the year 2007!
Collection of additional geo-
technical, env ironmental and
hydraulic data
Study and review of existing
foundation capacity
Development of widening options
Preliminary Environmental Impact
Study
Traffic Management Study
A great bridge is a great monument
to make known the splendour and
which should serve
genius of a nation …
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Soil Investigation Rigg
~Jean Peronnet
You've smelt those stinking landfills,
and seen rats scurry and rummage
through the garbage. You thoroughly
disapprove but until today, the most
common method of disposing
municipal solid waste in Malaysia is
through open dumps where vermin
have a field day , flies breed
uncontrollably and toxic substances
seep into groundwater ending up in
wells. There is no such thing as a
sanitary landfill in Malaysia: one that
effectively manages hazardous
substances emitted from such dumps.
Land suitable for these dumps is
running out. This can be a real
problem, as in the Klang Valley where
one-third of the nation's total solid
waste is generated; the only refuse
disposal site at Taman Beringin has
reached its saturation point two years
ago.
THE BURNING ISSUE …
THERMAL WASTE TREATMENT PLANTBEROGABEROGA
Further to that, the municipal solid
waste (MSW) generation within
Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur (FTKL)
is expected to increase from
2609MT/day in y ear 1996 to
3,433MT/day by 2025. Therefore,
there is a need for a comprehensive
Solid Waste Management (SWM) Plan
for FTKL to manage, treat and dispose
the increasing amounts of combustible
and non-combustible waste that we
continue to generate daily.
Under these circumstances, FTKL has
implemented an integrated strategy to
manage its MSW.
A three-prong approach shall be
adopted to manage the disposal of
MSW; i.e., by recycling and recovery
activities, landfilling at engineered
sanitary landfill facilities and by
thermal treatment employing state of
the art combustion system. In
accordance to the above projections,
43% of MSW generated within FTKL is
expected to be landfilled, 35% shall be
thermally treated and 22% shall be
recovered and recycled by year 2025.
ENTER THE INCINERATOR …
By definition, this is a technical unit
dedicated to the treatment of wastes.
It diminishes the need to look for new
dumping grounds every few years.
They can be designed to treat
different types of waste such as
municipal solid waste, hospital and
industrial waste.
In April 2001, the Ministry of Housing
and Local Government appointed
Yachiyo Engineering Company Ltd. in
association with HSS Integrated
Sdn. Bhd. (HSSI), Minco Sdn. Bhd.,
and EEC Sdn. Bhd. as Project
Management Consultants (PMC) for
the first of its kind Thermal Waste
Treatment Plant project in Malaysia.
The role of the PMC is to assist the
Government of Malaysia to ensure
that the project is planned, designed,
constructed, commissioned and
operated in conformance with
international standards and local
conditions.
Initially to be located on a 20-acre site
at Kampung Bohol in Puchong, the
Government of Malaysia subsequently
decided to relocate the plant to
Beroga, Semenyih. The plant will have
a capacity of treating 1200 ton/day of
MSW from the south-western areas of
FTKL and State of Selangor Darul
Ehsan.
Written By : Anand, Senior Engineer
An artist’s impression of the incinerator at Semenyih, Selangor
4
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It is expected that in the future, this
technology will become the principal
thermal treatment system overtaking
the popularity of conventional waste
combusting plant. Hence, Malaysia will
become the export centre for this
technology to the neighbouring
regions.
The highest consideration is of course,
the health and safety issues of the
people, especially those who live
nearby. Care and due diligence were
given the highest priority by all
concerned to ensure these issues were
addressed. Perunding Utama Sdn. Bhd.
carried out a detailed EIA study where
the findings were published to the
public for comments. This plant will set
new standards in solid waste disposal
SAFETY FIRST…
designed to comply with all envi-
ronmental emission standards. The
new allocated site for Malaysia's first
incinerator is approximately 270
acres, out of which 47 acres will be
used for the plant.
The landfill-dumping site that stinks,
discharge green gases and leak
toxious liquids polluting groundwater
are filling up too fast because of
continuous mountains of garbage, will
become a thing of the past.
Incinerators similar to the Beroga
plant will be the way of the future.
The construction for Thermal Waste
Treatment Plant at Beroga is expected
to start in year 2004 upon the approval
of Detailed Environmental Impact
Assessment (DEIA) report by the
Department of Environment and is
scheduled to be operational by year
2008.
The plant will utilise the state of the art
Gas i f i cat ion and Ash-Mel t ing
Technology. This technology reduces
total dioxin generation and emission of
heavy metals to the lowest amounts, it
is capable of meeting stringent
environmental discharge standards, it
enables glass, aluminum and steel to
be recovered and finally, it maximizes
the generation of electricity for export
to neighbouring communities at
relatively high efficiencies.
More features of gasification and ash-
melting furnace are as follows:
STATE OF THE ART …
It generates combustible gas with
considerably high calorific value and
is used to melt the residue from the
gasification.
The amount of dioxin formation is
less than the conventional stoker
type because of further low
temperatures in the gasification and
further high temperatures in the
melting furnace.
No hazardous substance will be
leached from the molten slag.
The slag can be used as construction
material.
Some types can treat many kinds of
waste, not only MSW but also liquids
and sludge.
Higher efficiency of heat recovery
can be expected because of higher
temperature in the ash-melting
furnace and smaller amounts of flue
gas.
Much valuable metal can be
recovered because excess oxidation
is not performed in the gasification.
Energy consumption efficiency is
less, compared to the conven-
tional incinerator.
A Typical Guide toTypes of Incinerators
5
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The choice of an incinerator depends on the wastes' combustibility and its
characterisation as liquid, sludge, solid or gas. The waste combustibility
characteristics, such as ignition temperature, flash point and flammability limits
determine the necessary operating temperature, oxygen concentration, and
residence for greatest waste minimisation.
The common types of incinerators are:
Rotary kiln
Fluidised bed
Liquid injection
Multiple hearth
Catalytic combustion
Waste-gas flare
Direct flame
Rotary kiln, fluidised bed and liquid injection are the most prevalent in the
industry because of their applicability to large-scale use and versatility.
Source : Facts excerpt from “The Basic Environment Engineering” by H.R. Bungay
Port Dickson, a local tourist des-
tination, is well known for its beaches
and marinas. Identified as a new
development area for Negeri
Sembilan, the need to upgrade the
existing coastal route has risen. Thus,
the Pasir Panjang-Port Dickson
Highway project, a four-lane single
carriageway road linking Kampung
Sungala to Pasir Panjang (Package A)
and the upgrade of existing roads from
Pasir Panjang to Linggi (Package B),
came into conception.
As the Engineering Consultant for
Package B, HSS Integrated Sdn Bhd
(HSSI) is involved in the upgrading
works to the existing alignment.
Port Dickson...?
This project, valued at RM185 million, is
set to take off in January 2004, for the
duration of 30 man-months. It starts
from Linggi Town at the existing FR5/N9
Junction and follows the existing FR5
alignment before finally ending about
1km after Pasir Panjang Town.
The total length of the alignment is
approximately 20km. The proposed
alignment generally follows the existing
road al ignment with local ised
improvement to the geometric design
at certain areas so that the required
standard geometrics and cross-
sectional features can be achieved. This
will, in days to come ensure smooth
driving all the way to Port Dickson!
Written By : Begum Irdawati, Graduate Engineer
Driving to
O
ROADS THROUGH 20 cProject LOJING to POS BLAU
Simpang Pulai-Lojing-Gua Musang
-Kuala Berang highway was
planned as the second East-West
connection in the northern regions of
Peninsular Malaysia after the existing
Gerik-Jeli road. Traversing through four
states namely Perak, Pahang, Kelantan
and Terengganu, the highw ay
m e a s u r e s 3 1 6 . 5 k m , c o s t i n g
approximately RM1.64 billion.
Appointed as the engineering
consultant by JKR Malaysia, HSS
Integrated Sdn. Bhd. (HSSI) was
responsible for the design of Package 3
of this project. The scope of works
included the conceptual, preliminary
and detailed engineering design. HSSI
was also appointed to carry out the
Environmental Impact Assessment
Study to evaluate and propose the
mitigation measures to minimise the
impact of the project to the surrounding
environment. Package 3, comprising of
three construction packages will start
from Lojing through to Pos Brooke
before terminating at Pos Blau, with an
overall length of 56.3km. Pos Brooke
has been planned as the administration
centre for the sub-district of Lojing.
The key design features of this project
would be a wider lane of 3.5m and a
paved shoulder of 2.5m to improve the
road safety, especially for motorcyclists.
The design speed for this mountainous
road is 50km/h with a maximum
gradient of 10%. About 42.5% or
23.9km of the road is a dual two-lane
carriageway with the New Jersey
Barrier as the separator provided for
the climbing lane.
The construction of this road project
requires 360 hectares of site
clearance, with 20 million cu/m of
earthworks excavation and 7.5 million
cu/m of embankment fill. A total of 17
bridges and viaducts were con-
structed. A team of professionals and
sub-professionals were selected to
supervise the construction and quality
works. An Environmental Officer and a
Senior Geotechnical Engineer were
also present to provide required
support for the mountainous terrain
project.
This project is scheduled to open to
public traffic by early 2006.
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Written By : Ahmad Termidi bin Ali, General Manager (Highway)
ProjectPASIR PANJANG to LINGGI
EMERGENCY WORKSon
Sungai Semen yih BridgeSungai Langat Bridge &
Written By : Lee Yew Seng, Chief Engineer
HSS Integrated Sdn Bhd (HSSI) was
appointed by PLUS Berhad in November
2002 to furnish a proposal to provide
emergency protection works on Sungai
Langat Bridge using rock amour.
Constructed in mid-1970, Sungai Langat
Bridge and Sungai Semenyih Bridge
have since been extended with
additional lanes. The bridges form part
of the North-South Expressway, which
link Kuala Lumpur and Seremban. Due to
lowering of the riverbed, the sub-
structures of bridges were found scoured
by 4.0m and 3.0m respectively, causing
piles to be exposed.
Emergency temporary works com-
menced upon appointment in 2002 and
was completed in January 2003. To date,
the services provided by HSSI for this
work were hydrologic and hydraulic
modelling, structural analysis, geo-
technical and foundation studies.
Future permanent protection works
scheduled for early 2004 would
subsequently comprise of the following :
The amalgamation of both emergency
and future permanent protection
services provide the bridges with a new
lease of life; up and ready for years to
come.
Emergency Temporary Works:
North Abutment
KL Abutment 100% Completed
The Before...
and the After...
7
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R.C. retaining wall to support local
JKR road
Underpinning existing pile cap with
micro-piles
Encase the exposed piles with
concrete
Amour rock to protect slopes
contributing to increased soil erosion
and water scarcity.
Between 300 and 400 million people
worldwide live close to and depend on
wetlands.
Wetlands act as highly efficient sewage
treatment works, absorbing chemicals
and filtering pollutants and sediments.
Urban and industrial development has
claimed half the world's wetlands.
Sustainable development and poverty
alleviation will only be achieved through
better management of and investment in
rivers and wetlands that drain into them.
1.5 billion people in Africa, Asia, Latin
America and the Caribbean.
Nearly 200 million people in Africa are
facing serious water shortages. By
2025, nearly 230 Africans will face
water scarcity, and 460 million people
will be living in water -stressed
countries.
Water problems are more related to
mismanagement than scarcity. Up to 50
percent of urban water and 60 percent
of water used in agriculture is wasted
through leaks and evaporation.
Logging and land conversion to
accommodate human demand has
shrunk the world's forest by half,
Contributed By : Bonnie Chong, Business Dev. & Corp. Comm. Manager
Water In The Future...
Two hundred scientists in 50 countries
have identified water shortage as one
of the two most worrying problems for
the new millennium (the other was
climate change).
Since 1950, global water use has more
than tripled. On current trends, over
the next 20 years humans will use 40
percent more water than they do now.
The number of people living in water-
stressed countries is projected to
climb from the current 70 million to 3
billion by 2025. Most of these people
live in the developing world.
To achieve the target of year 2015 for
fresh water provision, water supplies
will have to reach an additional Source : Facts from United Nations Environmental Programme
~ “Ourfuture depends on your actions today.”
So after 22 years of coaxing, pleading,
persuading, cajoling, reprimanding,
encouraging, what can we, as citizens
of Malaysia, expect without Dr M in the
driver's seat? Should we continue to
languish in mindless reliance on others?
Should we sit on our laurels and bask in
the glory of the many firsts that we
have achieved? I should think not, and
I believe that we should all strive
towards the goals set, and the
foundations laid down, and work
towards the vision of a better Malaysia,
with enthusiasm and vigour.
I know we have arrived, and it's
because of his labour and persistence.
Why? Because wherever I am, when
asked, I said that I am from Malaysia.
And the response I got was always one
of recognition, respect and admiration.
Compared to the days when the
response had been one of confusion
and ignorance, we've come a long way.
Thanks, Dr M.
In My Opinion... st31 October
2003 may, to
many people,
dawn the end
of an era, and
yet to others
the beginning
of another. It
was to be the
day our Prime
Minister, Dato’ Seri Dr Mahathir to retire
to a quieter life, after 22 years of active
involvement in local affairs and in the
international scene.
How has the PM, in his high office,
impacted us? How will we remember
him? How will history judge him?
There will be many versions and many
different answers from different levels
of our society. As far as I could
remember, Dr Mahathir, or Dr M, as we
used to call him from the early days of
his prime-ministership, has been a
major part of my adult life, and “the” PM
in my children's generation, the only
one they ever knew. I remembered
them calling out “Dr Mahathir! ”
whenever I quizzed them “Who is the
Prime Minister of Malaysia?”. Now
adults themselves, they try to emulate
him, and hopefully to become the
future which Dr M has laid the
foundations for.
For me, Dr M came into the '80s as a
brash, outspoken, bold, no-nonsense
character, which set the mood for a
“bersih, cekap, amanah” civil service.
I recalled vaguely, pamphlets dropping
from helicopters with the above slogan,
flying in the air as it reached the
ground. There was also the cartoon by
LAT featuring the clock-in required of
civil servants, which I believed still
stands to this day. I even remembered
him telling overweight police officers to
trim down or risk losing their positions.
Th is speaks of h is c lear -cut
uncompromising attitude towards
indiscipline.
Written By : Suzette Chong, CEO’s Secretary
Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad
8
Sp
eci
al T
rib
ute
Datuk Ir. Shanta Kumar
Executive Director “Dr Mahathir is the ”biggest” Prime Minister in
our Malaysian history. A great leader for the third
world and Islamic world. His political and
philosophical thoughts are revolutionary. People
should listen and take note on what he says.”
Ir. Ahmad Termidi Ali
General Manager - Highway“He is simply the best! A visionary leader who has
won the respect of all, both here and abroad. His
sheer determination and ability to achieve his
goals reflects much of his energy and vision. I
hope that Dr Mahathir will stay on to advice the
En. Kamal Redzuan
General Manager - Corporate Affairs“Simply put - he is able to see what we don't see.
His foresight has propelled our nation to greater
heights.”
Dr. C. O. Chow
Senior General Manager“As our PM, he has put Malaysia on the map.
While I was in China, I was amazed that even taxi
drivers knew of him and gave their 'thumbs-up'. A
hardworking PM who make all Malaysians
proud.”
Ms. Claire Chan
Assistant Accountant“Dr Mahathir has done a very good job and his
contribution for the past 20 years has been
admirable. Thanks to his vision, we have many
physical landmarks such as The Petronas Twin
Towers, Putrajaya etc.”
from the Management and Staff of the HSS Group of Companies
Thank You Dr. M,
TRIBUTES FROM STAFF….
The Citigroup Center building in
New York City had a structural
flaw, and had the potential to
collapse. There was a mis-
understanding between the
Engineer and the Contractor and
the building was not built right.
When the flaw was caught in
1978 (a year after completion) it
was found that there was a 50%
chance of collapse during winds
over 78mph (typical in a
hurricane). At the same time
there was a hurricane heading up
the East Coast, heading straight
for New York City. The Engineer and building owner secretly had
the flaw corrected in the middle of the night (some of the bracings
were bolted instead of being welded). There were rumours about
the “glowing Citibank building” because the welding could be seen
across the skyline. It was estimated that 156 blocks would have
been demolished due to the domino effect the building would start
had it fallen over.
Source: Archived in the Boston Globe
CenterCenterCenterCitigroup Citigroup Citigroup The The The
The view of the Citigroup building from Lexington Avenue, New York City.
Datuk Ir. Shantha Kumar Board Member for
BEM
Our co-founder and
Executive Director
Datuk Ir. Shantha Kumar’s membership to the
Board of Engineering, Malaysia (BEM) was
extended for another year recently. A member
since August 2002, Datuk Shantha also sits on
the BEM’s bulletin (Bulletin Ingenieur) Board
as Chairman.
Hailing from University of Birmingham, UK
with a Bachelor of Science (Hons) and Masters
of Science, Datuk Shantha is best known for
his “open door” management style. Always
having time to listen, Datuk Shantha's
generous and jovial personality has earned
him the respect of many, both from his staff
and business associates.
A multi-talented man who has a hidden
passion to be a rock singer, Datuk Shantha
believes in the philosophy that “All work and no
play, makes one a dull engineer”.9
Did
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u K
no
w?
Another page to our Malaysian history stwas created on 1 November 2003.
After 22 years as Prime Minister, YAB
Tun Dr Mahathir ceremoniously handed
over the Prime Ministership to his
successor, YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi.
YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah has been in
several prominent portfolios. In 1978,
he was the Parliamentary Secretary to
the Federal Territory Ministry, and
promoted as the Deputy Minister in the
same ministry two years later. YAB was
then appointed as a Minister in the
Prime Minister's Department in 1981,
followed by posts as the Minister of
Education (1984-1986), Minister of
Defence (1986-1987) and Minister of
Foreign Affairs (1991-1999). Prior to
the current appointment, YAB was the
Deputy Prime Minister as well as the
Minister of Home Affairs. Needless to
say, the skills and experiences acquired
during these formative political years
have garnered well to prepare YAB for
the ultimate post as the Prime Minister of
Malaysia.
Much has been written about him, his
background and his family. In short, he
is just a regular person like you and I. A
glimpse of his humble, demure yet
affirmative stance in all that he believes
in, has already been noted in his short
term in office thus far.
It takes a special person to do a Prime
THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERAMinister's job. I am
g l a d i t ' s h i m .
Recently, YAB ex-
plained to Malay-
sians that he is the
No. 1 servant to the
nation. A noble act
of humility by far, I
believe, that should
be emulated by
everyone in the
country irregardless
of whether they
serve in the government or private
sector. With all the challenges ahead,
as a nation, I believe, we are in good
hands.
YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
is indeed the role model for the Rakyat.
“Reason and calm judgement, the qualities specially belonging to a
leader”
Written By: Bonnie Chong / Jadryn Loh
A proposal to amend the Malaysian
Bankruptcy Act 1967 has been tabled
and debated upon. One of its main
aims is to persuade financial
institutions to renegotiate and
reschedule payments due from
debtors instead of the current practice
of filing bankruptcy actions, without
further consideration.
Besides the above, the Bill seeks to
amend the following:
From the current minimum debt of
RM10,000 that allows the
borrower to be declared a
bankrupt, to RM30,000, allowing
those owing below RM30,000 to
reschedule their debts without the
worry of being declared a
bankrupt.
A further provision to be included in
the Bill will be the definition of a
“Social Guarantor”, this is to
differentiate him from a business
guarantor. In the current scenario
there is no differentiation as to the type
of Guarantor, they all fall under the
same category. Under the Bill a “Social
Guarantor” will be defined as a person
who provides guarantees for the
following :
Loans, scholarship or other kinds
of financial schemes for edu-
cational purposes;
Purchase of non-business vehicle
under a hire-purchase scheme and
which is for personal use and,
housing-loan guarantees for
personal dwellings.
Under this proposed Bill an action for
bankruptcy cannot be brought against
a “Social Guarantor” unless it can be
proven to the satisfaction of the court,
that all attempts to recover the loan
from the actual borrower has been
Bill 2003The Bankruptcy (Amendment)Written By: Anthony Francisco, HSS Legal Department
The amendment Bill proposes to
increase the minimum benchmark
figure from RM10,000 to RM30,000 to
bring a bankruptcy action against a
debtor. This will further ensure that a
rash of indiscriminate bankruptcy
actions are not brought by financial
institutions against hapless “Social
Guarantors”, as well as indirectly
helping the economic recovery of the
nation as bankruptcy actions have
increased ten-fold since the 80's.
So for those who might be caught-up in
a bankruptcy situation, especially
those who fall under the “Social
Guarantor” category, there maybe
some relief yet on the horizon.
exhausted, and only then will the court
allow a bankruptcy action to be filed
against a “Social Guarantor”.
Petition for Bankruptcy
Disclaimer :
This article is not intended as legal advice. It is
merely general information and is not the full text
of the enactment, only a summarised version.
ENGINEER’S GUIDE ON A DATEFirst Base:
Your body has the nicest arc length I've ever seen.
You fascinate me more than the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
Second Base:My love for you is like a concave up function because it is always increasing.
Since distance equals velocity times time, let's let velocity and time approach infinity, because I want to go all the way with you.
Third Base:Wanna come back to my room? … and see my 2.6G Pentium IV?
Let's convert our potential energy to kinetic energy.
Home Run:Hey baby, let's make a stress-strain curve together!
Or where time constrain beckons: How about you and me go back to my place and form a covalent bond?
10
Did
Yo
u K
no
w?
/ H
uM
oU
r
Send ‘em back to...
fIrST pRIzE wInNeR :sAFEtY At wORk!
PI
CK
M
E
UP
Jokes
asideJJokesokes
asas di edi e
11
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Stretching over the long Merdeka
weekend in August, 63 HSS staff
and family members left for
Phuket for 4 days to shop, relax, party
and whatever else (we shall leave that
to your imagination!!!).
The trip started very innocently with
the usual sight-seeing expeditions to
Wat Chalong temple, scenic Rawai
Beach (an excellent sunset view!) and
wild shopping trips to the cashew nut
and T-shirt factories. The common
theme for the day was “Buy 10 and get
1 free!!!”.
“You won't get such bargains
anywhere else in Phuket”, beamed our
tour guide, Odd! (Trust us to trust a
guy called ODD!)
Our second day was to visit the
famous Coral Island. Despite the rain,
most of us maximized the day by
continuing to swim, snorkel, para-
sail, etc. After lunch, we went back to
the mainland, where once again our
beaming tour guide, Odd took us to,
this time “The World's Biggest
Jewelery Store”. No more “Buy 10 get
1 Free” gimmicks. Its every man for
himself. Credit cards were quickly
fished out and serious haggling were
in high motion. Yes, there were
casualties, including… myself.
Day 3 and 4 were spent free and easy.
Last minute shopping, sight-seeing,
pub-hopping and 'makan-makan'
expeditions were fast and furiously
piled in by everyone. At night,
traditional massages and shopping at
Patong beach were the crowds'
favourites. While small groups went
for traditional shows such as
“Fantasea Show” etc, Anand Inc. were
spotted once again at Patong pubs!
The 4 days were relaxing. Most
importantly, it was an opportunity for
the staff to mingle and to get to know
each other better. Group pictures,
memorable funny incidences and
experiences shared with good
company, make us await in antici-
pation for the next company trip.
Phuket Paradise...Sawadeekap!Written By : Bonnie Chong, Business Dev. and Corp. Comm. Manager
Boy... Did we party!
Phuket is synonymous to sea, sand and sun. In short, paradise.
Calendar of Events Calendar of Events Here are the Events for 2004
What can go wrong?
3rd July
31st July
28th - 31st Aug
9th Oct
17th July
14th Aug
18th Sept
27th Nov
Basketball
Sepak Takraw
Trip
Annual Dinner
Badminton
Snooker
Dart
Elections & AGM
Muhibbah Night
Volleyball
Bowling
Futsal
Squash
Pool
Table Tennis
Treasure Hunt / Team Building
Track & Field / Family Day
16th January
6th March
3rd April
15th May
19th June
14th February
20th March
17th April
5th June
NOTE : The above dates are subject to change
The Night the Dead Walked! The Night the Dead Walked! Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble!Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble!
One of the biggest events of the
year, The HSS Annual Dinner
and Dance 2003, occupied the
main ballroom of Crown Princess thKuala Lumpur on 4 October, with
witches on broomsticks flying
across the room, green ghosts
howling… scary faces alive!!
“Halloween Night”, the theme for
this year's dinner, was a much
awaited event with over 320 HSS
staff and their spouses gracing the
occasion. Amidst dr aculas,
vampires, witches, and walking-
pumpkins, the evening was further
spooked by an outstanding
o p e n i n g p e r f o r m a n c e b y
entertainers “Soul Perfection”.
Following speeches by Mr. L.
Yogarajah, President of HSS
Sports Club and Datuk Kuna
Sittampalam, Executive Director
of HSS Engineering Sdn Bhd, a
sumptuous 8-course dinner was
served to soothe the tummy,
whilst our traditional slide-show
presentations of social events and
sports activities held throughout
the year, generated laughs from
the crowd!
The “Ten-Year Service Awards”
was another highlight. 19 loyal
staff were awarded exquisite
watches by Dato' Abu Bakar and
Dato’ Sivasubramaniam in appre-
ciation for their long services and
dedication. Other highlights for
the night were the sports trophy
presentations, lucky draws, prizes
for best-spookily dressed - male
and female categories, and live
performance by the hip reggae
band “La Viva”, that got everyone
on their feet dancing into the
night.
The HSS Management and the HSS Sports Club
wish to thank all sponsors for their generous
contributions and support, without which the
party would have been only half the fun!
The HSS Sports Club had a fantastic year of
social and sports events. 2003 has been by
far, the most active year, clocking an
overwhelming and enthusiastic participation
from its members!
The second half of 2003 saw badminton,
bowling, futsal, snooker, dart and pool
tournaments, in addition to the Phuket trip
during the Merdeka weekend. The staff at
HSS remains united at work and at play!
Other events that went by ...
Badminton Futsal Snooker
12
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“The more the merrier” - the perfect phrase
to describe the Futsal Tournament that took
place at the Indoor Soccer Stadium, Jalan
Kuching on 21 June 2003. Nine teams took
part. Family and friends made up the huge
thirty spectators, lending support and
making new friends along the way.
The likely and unlikely highlights of the
games were:
Some players slipped and were injured
but they soldiered on to finish the game!
Determination, team spirit and high
levels of pain threshold!
A certain player was spotted in an
upside down bib on the field. Hint…
Player No. 5 of Highway Team!
Another player, in the heat of the game,
kicked an uncontrolled ball into the fuse
box causing a minor black out and
hushed voices!
Team Batu Pahat wins again! Secret
behind the success: “Practice makes
Perfect”.
(Ed: Guess we know what they do
during “Happy Hour” in Batu Pahat!)
The results are as follows :
Futsal Tournament
The Final Match
Batu Pahat SPD 36 13 vs.
Nearly 90 participants, in
addition to the hundred over
“supporting crew” of family
members and friends of HSS
staff, HSS Intesys and Virinchi
turned up for this bowling
tournament. It was a huge
event where we took up ten
bowling alleys at The Mines
Shopping Fair on 26 July 2003.
The rules were simple. Four
players per alley, with the top
two scorers proceeding to the
next level. Many players had
their first attempt at bowling
and impressed us with their
hidden talents. Our CEO, Ir.
Chan Kin Pooi even brought his
own good luck charm, his dark
blue bowling ball - a calming
factor! It was a day filled with
chaotic laughters especially
when most bowling balls
decided to “masuk longkang!”
Nevertheless, everyone was a
good sport and kept up with the
spirit of the game.
Congratulations to all players
and winners for a game well
played! The results are as
follows:
Men's Group
Chan Kin Pooi (204 points)
Azroisam Ibrahim (175 points)
Chow Peng Neng (115 points)
Women's Group
Elliza Azudin (102 points)
Siu Sui Leng (99 points)
Norazlin Jamalludin (90 points)
Bowling Tournament
Joke of the Day
My ball's name is
Spongebob!
Special highlights straight from the HSS Sports News Room!
Dart Pool Pre-HalloweenAnnual Dinner
2003” at the conference.
Dr Chow was once again invited to
present a paper on bridges, this time
entitled “Design of Bridge - Time
Dependent Losses to BS 5400” for
the Sabah “JKR Road Conference -
New Technology for Better Roads”.
A lengthy paper of 18 pages, the
paper covered various characteristics
and different practical mathematical
models and computational sequences
using the BS model to evaluate
common losses associated with a
balanced cantilever bridge cons-
truction.
KGKRGolf Tournament
The Kelab Golf Kerja Raya (KGKR)
Annual Championship & JKR/ex-JKR
Golf Tournament was recently held on th4 October 2003 at the Sungai Long
Golf & Country Club. Over 120 golfers
turned up for a “people's tournament”
made possible by the generous
sponsorships from participants.
Organised by HSS Engineering Sdn
Bhd (HSSE), the tournament turned
into a serious battle-ground from the
very first tee off at 8am sharp.
Overcast clouds loomed throughout
the day, with our infamous “hujan di
sana sini” appearing now and then.
Despite all the birdies, bogeys,
double bogeys... humour was all
around, especially during group
photo sessions and the prize giving
ceremony.
On behalf of KGKR, HSSE would like
to thank all sponsors for their
support. We would especially like to
thank Tan Sri Dato' Ir. Hj. Zaini
Omar (Ketua Pengarah Kerja Raya)
for taking time off from his busy
schedule to participate in the
tournament, and also to Dato'
Ahmad Suffian Abd. Majid (Deputy
President KGKR) for his support to
the club.
Congratulations to all 50 winners
from the 8 various golf categories
plus lucky draw prizes. With all the
smiling faces on that day, every-
body was a winner!!
I still swing the way I used to but when I look up, the ball is going in a different direction
~ Lee Trevino
Dr Chow Chee Onn, our Senior General
Manager (Technical) is indeed a much
sought-after engineer. Many a times,
he was invited to share his knowledge
and experiences in the fields of
bridges.
In April 2003, Dr Chow along with our
Executive Director, Datuk Ir. Kuna
Sittampalam, presented a technical
paper entitled “The Elevated Guideway rdof LRT, Kuala Lumpur” for the 3
International Conference on “New
Dimensions in Bridges, Flyovers,
Overpass & Elevated Structures”. This
well-received paper was awarded the
“Highly Commendable Paper Award
For Dr. C. O. Chow
Check out that swing!
Keep that pose, that’s your good side, Nitchi...
AnotherMILESTONE
Chow Time!
Prize giving ceremony by our M.C -Ir. Chan Kin Pooi
No-lah darling, I amplaying golf...
As we gather around and
bloom for your coming new year.
reflect over the past year,We are truly blessed
for all that's dear,Wishing all friends and
Happy New Year fromthe Management and
Staff of the HSS Group of Companies.
clients a merry cheer,Let peace and prosperity