This law will provide legal protection for the general public against engineering malpractice
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Association of Engineers (PII) believed that Indonesia needs a law on engineering to secure safety for the public.

"This law will provide legal protection for the general public against engineering malpractice," Secretary General of PII Heru Dewanto said here recently in a hearing with Commission V of the House of Representatives.

He said the law will also provide legal protection to engineers in performing their profession, including legal protection and in reaching international standards.

He said that it was about time Indonesia has an engineering law as the existence of engineers and their important profession for the public still has no rulings in positive law.

"Doctors and lawyers already have a law, thus enabling them to work more professionally and compete in the current global era," he said.

He also said that in ASEAN, only Indonesia, Laos, and Myanmar still have no law on engineering.

In other countries, in the US for instance, they have the Texas Engineering Practice Act, in Japan a Registered Engineer Law/1983 Law no 25, and in Australia the Professional Engineers 1988, in Malaysia a Registration of Engineers Act 1967, and in Singapore the Singapore Professional Engineers Act, Revised Edition 1992, Chapter 253.

Heru added that the engineering law will cover the basic philosophy for producing engineers with a capability to carry out his or her expertise, and which could be held responsible legally, morally, and materially.

"The law will also cover a work license system based on the production of engineers with the potential to compete in the global arena," he said.

The law will also cover the rights of an engineer and his or her license.

On the same occasion, General Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Architects Endi S. said that he also believed that it was about time for Indonesia to have a law on construction services.(*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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