Datuk Seri Ir. Dr Wee Ka Siong, civil engineer and member of the Malaysian parliament, was invited to join ICE Fellowship by presidential invitation.
ICE Vice President Dr Anusha Shah presented Malaysia’s transport minister with his ICE Fellowship certificate at an event at One Great George Street this week.
Dr Wee Ka Siong was appointed Malaysia’s minister of transport in March 2020.
He has prioritised helping transport operators during the Covid-19 pandemic while keeping transport infrastructure development on track.
Speaking ahead of the certificate presentation, Dr Wee said: “This is truly an honour to me and a major feather in my hat in my career as a professional engineer.”
Dr Shah and Dr Wee discussed the need for collaboration and sharing of best practice between different countries to tackle challenges such as climate change, traffic safety and electric vehicle infrastructure strategy, among other topics.
It was agreed that ICE is well placed to act as a catalyst to help prioritise infrastructure decisions using the Sustainable Development Goals as a framework.
Datuk Seri Ir. Dr Wee Ka Siong - his path to fellowship
In his early career as a professional civil engineer, Dr Wee’s enthusiasm and deep knowledge of transport and environmental engineering earned him various positions in the consultancy industry.
These include working as a traffic impact assessment (TIA) consultant from 1994 to 2008, and as an environmental impact assessment (EIA) consultant registered with the Department of Environment in Malaysia from 1995 to 2008.
Dr Wee served as deputy education minister from 2008 to 2013. Then, he served as a minister in the prime minister's department from June 2014 to May 2018.
He's been the Member of Parliament for the Ayer Hitam constituency for four consecutive terms since 2004, and chairs the National Education Consultative Committee.
Currently, as Malaysia's transport minister, Dr Wee and his ministry oversee the development of 665 km East Coast Rail Link, which will extend from Kelantan to Port Klang in Selangor.
They also oversee the development of Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System, a cross-border railway which will connect the Bukit Chagar Station in Johor Bahru with Woodlands North Station in Singapore.
Dr Wee holds professional qualifications from several local and international professional bodies.
The Enabling Better Infrastructure (EBI) programme
At the event, Dr Wee also met with ICE’s director of policy, Chris Richards, and head of the EBI programme, Dr Kerry Bobbins, to discuss the second phase of EBI and Malaysia’s involvement.
The EBI programme aims to strengthen how infrastructure projects are identified and prioritised to ensure that sustainable, stable and investable pipelines are created. These then maximise the role of infrastructure in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
In 2019, the first phase of EBI was launched by ICE and partners in seven cities globally.
This second phase will focus on improving knowledge sharing between countries and providing insight and support on developing infrastructure policymaking processes to achieve the 12 principles of EBI.
The meeting also discussed the importance of improving efficiency in delivery, a key theme of ICE President Ed McCann’s presidency.
Learn more
Catch up on the launch of EBI in 2019, or watch an online lecture that explores the role of the principles in supporting countries to better align infrastructure with the aims of the SDGs.
