Burst pipes, collapsing ceilings and faulty air-conditioning systems seem to be the bane of Malaysia's new government buildings.

Can Works Minister S Samy Vellu ensure that the RM1.9 billion Smart tunnel will not experience similar problems?

This was the question posed by Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang today, soon after Bernama reported that the 9.7km tunnel will be opened to traffic on Monday.

Samy Vellu, who made the announcement, did not disclose the toll rate to be charged.

The tunnel's construction was jointly-undertaken by MMC and Gamuda in January 2003, and was initially scheduled for opening on April 9. However, this was delayed due to technical glitches .

Shoddy work

Last month, work at the Immigration Department headquarters in Putrajaya came to a halt after water pipes in the upper levels of the building burst and brought down parts of the ceiling.

Following this, the ceiling at the Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development Ministry, also in Putrajaya, caved in due to a leaky sprinkler system.

The next week, parts of a ceiling at the new Kuala Lumpur court complex in Jalan Duta collapsed, which was followed by the appearance of cracks on its walls four days later.

Commenting on these mishaps, Lim said shoddy construction work seems to have become a source of "daily shame" for the country.

"With all these defects, the question uppermost in the minds of Malaysians is whether Samy Vellu can give an iron-clad guarantee that the RM1.9 billion Smart tunnel will be completely trouble-free when it is open to traffic next Monday," he said in a statement.

The opposition leader also cited another incident which saw Yang di-Pertuan Agong Mizan Zainal Abidin's flight delayed when runaway lights at the Sultan Mahmud Aiport in Terengganu failed to work.

More than 300 other passengers were also affected when flights for that night and the following day were cancelled.