The government has called on its citizens to act as whistleblowers and turn in contractors amid a spate of complaints about shoddy and delayed work.

Works Minister Samy Vellu said the government will implement a code of ethics for contractors, who will be forced to attend courses on integrity and be subjected to appraisals in the face of frustration over stalled projects and poor work.

"These are drastic measures. Once implemented, the code of ethics and appraisal system will have to be adhered to by contractors," Samy Vellu was quoted as saying in Monday's New Straits Times .

Under the code contractors will have to finish their work on time, while customers will be able to report sub-standard work to a construction industry board, said the newspaper.

"The interesting point is that the public will become whistleblowers. Their complaints can be submitted to the (board) which will conduct an investigation," Samy Vellu said.

Plagued by corruption

Industry players and analysts have said the construction sector is plagued by corruption and bureaucracy, resulting in expensive but poor quality developments.

The country has seen a number of large-scale infrastructure projects worth hundreds of millions of ringgit - including a prison, a hospital and government buildings - delayed for years amid spiralling costs.

"There has been an increase in cases of abandoned projects and shoddy work," Samy Vellu said.

"The government has to pump in more money to revive or repair such projects."