Ingenieur April-June 2016 Ingenieur Apr-June 2016 | Page 9

CONFERENCE The 2nd World Congress On Infrastructure Asset Management (INFRAASSETS2015) By YB Dato’ Sri Fadillah Yusof, Minister, Ministry of Works The World Congress on Infrastructure Asset Management November 16-18, 2015 was organised by WMIT Group Sdn Bhd (http://wmitgroup.com.my) F irstly, I would like to take this oppor tunit y to thank the organising committee of the 2nd World Congress on Infrastructure Asset Management (INFRAASSET2015) for inviting me to deliver the keynote address of this congress which I am indeed honoured to give an overview on Infrastructure Asset Management in Malaysia. As we aspire to be world class, this aspiration would not be possible if our infrastructures remained at Third World l evel. M o re imp o r t ant l y, being world class does not only mean providing world class infrastructures but also enhancing the economic status of the populace to that of world class where the infrastructures built are privately funded instead of the traditional responsibility of the Government. The economic benefits of providing infrastructures are indeed wide and transcend the business community. As an economic activity, it has been reported that approximately 150 activities along the value and supply chain benefit from the development of a builtenvironment project. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in development expenditures to cope with the demands of a rapidly expanding economy. For instance, urban transportation which is being modernized and upgraded through the construction of new highways and expressways to overcome bottlenecks especially in the Klang Valley and its surrounding area. Malaysians have been provided with efficient rail services by the Express Rail Link (ERL) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT), Monorail, Electric Trains and the latest being the comprehensive Mass Rapid Transit (MRT). In the building industry, not only did the Petronas Twin Towers become global icons, the Master Plan Townships of Putrajaya are another showcase of our skills in building townships that are world class. These symbolise sustainable development that harmonise built and natural environments. Needless to say, the pace of physical development is proportionate to the availability 7