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.

anita@hssi.po.my.

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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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

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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...

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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

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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

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/ H

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Send ‘em back to...

fIrST pRIzE wInNeR :sAFEtY At wORk!

PI

CK

M

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UP

Jokes

asideJJokesokes

asas di edi e

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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

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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