Government agencies were taken to task by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who insisted that they regularly inspect ongoing construction projects and take action against errant developers.

At a press conference in Putrajaya today, Abdullah said the authorities should conduct weekly checks on construction projects. He reminded them that is it cheaper to revive abandoned projects if this was done during the early stages of construction.

Abdullah was commenting on a Star report today that 11 developers have either abandoned or delayed construction of 12 police housing projects throughout the country. He had ealier presented excellent service awards to internal security ministry staff.

The General Operations Force housing scheme in Kinarut, Sabah, for example, was suspended early last year after being only 35 percent completed. The RM215 million project stalled after an alleged dispute between the main contractor and the sub-contractors.

The prime minister said action is needed against errant developers to avoid recurrence of problems. He stressed that the projects should be revived soon to prevent overall costs from rising due to environmental damage and other factors.

The failure to deliver the 12 projects, worth an estimated RM500 million, has resulted in 2,670 police personnel and their families being without quarters. This has in turn forced the government to pay RM8.2mil in housing allowances, according to the report.

PCMC pending

Abdullah was also asked to comment on the recent call by Bar Council president Yeoh Yang Poh for an independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to be set up. This was among the 125 recommendations made by the Royal Police Commission in its report.

"We are working on that. I don't have to say anything else. We support the (Royal Police Commission's) recommendations and we understand it," responded Abdullah.

Yeoh's call arose from recent reports of police strip searches of foreign nationals and transsexuals that were allegedly not performed according to proper procedure.

"The Bar Council sees no reason why the IPCMC should not be immediately set up. The nation should not be asked to wait any longer, while horrifying tales continue to be told," Yeoh said last week.