Malaysia awaits 9/11

The the 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers will no longer be the tallest building for the Federal Government is planning to build a 100-storey building (or is it 3 hundred-storey building).

Are we not afraid of earth quakes? Do we in Malaysia really need such high structures? What about the increase of cars and traffic jams for all the sites are in already busy areas?

I thought we were over the tallest flag pole... the tallest tower...the tallest twin tower...but alas, here we go again and this time it will be 100-storey buildings...

And do we have the necessary fire fighting equipments for such a high building? What happens if there is a power failure? Walking down will be fun....

Have the people in the area been consulted? Have the notice board inviting objections and questions been put up at the project site. For these kind of 'mega project', it is not enough to just give the right to object to adjacent registered land owners. This right must be given to all people who live and work around the said area.

Today, even to get to court from the Jalan Duta traffic light ( a distance of about 400 meters), it can take about 20-25 minutes in the morning because of the traffic congestion. And, now there will be another 100-storey building in that area.

Priority should be to improve public transport - not building mega projects. Note that many of the buildings in KL and Klang Valley are already having difficulty getting tenants - so, really do we really need more office spaces?

Three sites in the city have been identified for the development of iconic structures to spur growth in the economy.

Sources say they are Dataran Perdana in Jalan Davis, the area surrounding Stadium Merdeka and the vicinity of the Matrade Centre in Jalan Duta.

All the plots of land are privately owned.Two belong to governmentlinked companies — Pelaburan Hartanah Bumiputera Bhd and Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) — while the Naza group owns 25ha in the vicinity of the Matrade Centre.

Economists were recently briefed by the Economic Planning Unit in the Prime Minister’s Department on the implementation of the iconic projects, as part of efforts to boost the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Even though the actual designs of the three structures have not been finalised, two appeared to have a 100-storey building each.

This could rival the highest structure in the country — the 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers, completed in 1997 at a cost of US$1.2 billion (RM4.05 billion).

While it is understood that the design for such a skyscraper is included in the original development master plan for the 25ha site around the Matrade centre, another source claimed that a 100-storey building is to be built near Stadium Merdeka, owned by PNB.

Bank Islam Malaysia chief economist Azrul Azwa said: “The key thing is the huge cost of the development and what the government’s role will be in this.

“There needs to be a costbenefit analysis of the projects to ensure they not only give short-term benefits to GDP but also help the economy in the long run.” RSP Architect’s Hud Bakar said a 100-storey building, on average, would cost 50 per cent more per square foot than a normal high-rise building, depending on the actual design.

Real estate agent Previndran Singhe of Zerin Properties said: “It is good to have iconic developments. But we should do away with the perception that iconic developments mean tall buildings.”- New Straits Times, 7/12/2009, 100-storey skyscrapers planned for Kuala Lumpur

Developers and construction players are generally, in favour of several mega property projects in the pipeline in Kuala Lumpur, especially the proposed development of a multi billion ringgit 100-storey skycraper, expected to be built near Matrade Centre, bordering Jalan Kuching and Jalan Duta.


Master Builders Association of Malaysia (MBAM) president Ng Kee Leen said the mega projects would help spur the Malaysian economy further and provide more jobs to players in the industry .

Occupying a 28-ha site owned by Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), the project could be completed in three to five years, if approved.

“It’s definitely the right time to revive the construction industry in a big way as (prices of) raw materials for the construction industry have stabilised and more importantly, consumer confidence, both local and foreign, is rising,” Ng told StarBiz yesterday.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall had approved several 30-storey and 50-storey property developement projects in the city, which are expected to commence soon.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall and top officials from PNB were unavailable for comments on the mega projects or confirm if the proposed100-storey skyscraper project had been approved.

Ng said despite the current property overhang, there were signs of a revival in the construction industry.

“There is now more hiring of draftsmen and architects and if most of the mega projects are appproved, it would certainly help further boost the Malaysian economy,” he said.

On the impact of the 100-storey property project, Ng said: “We don’t see this (building more mega property projects) as having a negative impact on the construction industry or the economy.”

“It would show to the world the Malaysia’s seriousness in following through with its plans,” he said, citing the continued property developments in Hong Kong and Singapore despite the current property overhang.

Jack Chua, a local real estate property agent and a property consultant specialising in property in the Golden Triangle area, said the impact of new mega projects would overall be positive to the economy.

“We believe if Malaysian government policies remain consistent and attractive, there should still be good buying interest from locals and foreigners, even if more mega projects come onstream,” he said.

Meanwhile, a local property analyst said while government policies had generally been proactive and supportive of the construction industry’s growth, the recent re-introduction of the real estate property gains tax (RPGT) did not go well with players in the industry.

“Many of them felt that the RPGT came very suddenly, just when the construction industry was showing signs of recovery,” he said.

The analyst said many construction players, including associations like MBAM and Real Estate and Housing Developers Association, had urged the Government to reconsider deferring the RPGT to a more appropriate time. - Star, 8/12/2009.

************************************************************************************

Another Mahathir in the making. Najib should spend the money on us not making a name for himself. With 9/11 still fresh in our minds, some people do not seem to worry. They think it can never happen here but are we God to know that? People like Mahathir after watching Avatar thinks the Americans had produced and directed 9/11. The truth is Mahathir always look down on people he cannot compete with.

What Mahathir is good at is producing drama like Sodomy 1 and had his prodigy continue with production Sodomy 2. As long as DSAI is alive we may even see Sodomy 3 and Sodomy 4.

Life is a cycle. As long as this G.O.D continues to fund and train terrorists, the bite can be fatal.