Leak at Parliament House ‘no cause for alarm’
11/05/2007 NST

Public Works Department officials conducting a site inspection on the roof of the Parliament building in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

KUALA LUMPUR: Public Works Department officers inspected the roof of Parliament House yesterday following an uproar over a leak on Wednesday.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the repairs would be completed soon.

The last time the House sprang a leak and proceedings had to be abandoned was in April, 2005.

Asked if Parliament House was safe, Nazri said: "It is 40 years old and nothing has happened to date...It is safe."

In Johor Baru, Works Minister Datuk Seri Samy Vellu said repair work would start today when the current session of parliament ends.
He said a report on how rainwater had seeped in through the ceiling of the media centre of the Dewan Rakyat would be completed by the PWD next week.

Investigations will focus on the structure of the roof and the quality of the water-proofing system.

Samy Vellu said action could be taken against the contractor if the leakage was due to shoddy workmanship.

He said the building’s maintenance was handled by parliament staff and the PWD was only in charge of renovation work.

Samy Vellu added that water leakages were common in new and old buildings.

"It not only happens in our country. Parliament houses in other countries could be facing the same problem. It’s just that we don’t know about it because it is not reported."