MBAM's Foo Chek Lee takes over ACF chairmanship

KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — Master Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM) president Foo Chek Lee has been appointed as the Asean Constructors Federation's (ACF) new chairman, effective June 10.

MBAM took over as the federation's chair following the conclusion of the Indonesian Contractors Association’s term in the role.

An active ACF Council Member since 2016 who has also participated in its various council meetings in Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, Foo expressed his thanks on behalf of MBAM to ACF for the honour.

“I believe there should be no dividing line between us and we should all collaborate and work together for the betterment of the Asean construction community,” he said in his acceptance speech at the 49th ACF Council Virtual Meeting.

Adding that the construction and real estate industry currently faces challenges brought about by the global Covid-19 pandemic, global trade war and multiple other issues impeding progress, Foo stressed that it is now more important than ever to share information and cooperate in overcoming these difficult times.

“We need to fortify our commitment to solidarity, ensuring that our less-resource members can cooperate and have more opportunities and assistance in taking on projects, and to also ensure that stakeholders in the built environment get maximum value for their investments by monitoring standards of practice within the industry,” he said, while also promoting the concept of “Buy Asean First”.

Another concern Foo raised was of construction works which are still done on-site. With the exception of Singapore in the region, he said more than 90 per cent of all such works are still done on-site.

“It is of utmost importance for contractors to look into new off-site approaches that can help to improve the predictability and consistency. This effort is important due to the impending high cost of construction coupled with shortage of skilled labour and ever-shrinking workspaces,” he said.

Former MBAM presidents who also served as ACF chairman include the late Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay from 1988 to 1991, Datuk Goh Chye Koon in 2006, and the late Datuk Patrick Wong from 2006 to 2008.