As an expatriate away from the country for the last decade and a half, it always amazes me to hear and read of the extent of corruption and cronyism in the award of public infrastructure projects.

The problems arising from this - with substandard works - are now coming to light one after the other. I hope this is not just the tip of the iceberg and that there won't be any unnecessary deaths down the road.

I can't help thinking about the current Bakun Dam project. Can one imagine cracks appearing on the dam wall? The authorities should make sure there aren't any defects, be it engineering or otherwise in the construction phrase.

Perhaps a law should be enacted to protect the engineers on the ground who dare to whistle blow on any corner cutting and corruption in the construction process.

Act now!