Government buildings in Johor ‘safe’
24/05/2007 The Star

JOHOR BARU: Government buildings in Johor meet safety standards although they do not have a fire and safety certificate.

State Public Works and Housing Committee chairman Datuk Baderi Dasuki said the Public Works Department had supervised the construction of the buildings with advice from the Fire and Rescue Department.

“In those days, the building plans, architects and contractors were supervised by the Works Department which sets a high standard of safety,” he said.

Furthermore, he said the buildings were built before the enforcement of the Fire Services Act 1988, which requires a building to have a fire and safety certificate.

“If the Fire and Rescue Department still wants them to be certified, we will apply (for the certificates),” he told a press conference.

Baderi was responding to the state Fire and Rescue Department director Mohd Yusof Muhammad’s statement that many government buildings did not have proper fire and safety certification.

The buildings include Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim (the state government administration centre), Wisma Persekutuan (where most government agencies are located), Sultanah Aminah Hospital and Sultan Ismail