Sabah's water tariff highest: Wong

People of Sabah paying the highest
water rate in Malaysia.

By Chris Maskilone (Daily Express 23/11/2011)

DAP Sri Tanjung Assemblyman Jimmy Wong said despite not complying with the water management standards Sabah’s water tariff is the highest in the country.

He claimed the State Government had failed to take any action to rectify issues mentioned in the Water Audit Report in 2008.

“The people have the right to have access to clean water, literally. Raw water quality is bad. Water treatment plants in Sabah are not equipped with tools, lab and qualified personnel.

"Fluoridation is insufficient. Tank or pond cleaning in water treatment plants are not properly done and  planned. No proper water sampling station. Sabah Quality Assurance programme is unsatisfactory. All these are comments in the 2008 Water Audit," he said.

Debating the State 2012 Budget, Wong said the water tariff rate for domestic or household use in Sabah was a flat rate of 90 sen for every one cubic metre (m³) or 1000 litres.

He said the rate was four times higher than Penang and about 50 per cent more than the tariff in other states.

In Penang under the Pakatan Rakyat government, he said, the water tariff was 22 sen for the first 20 m³, 40 sen (20·40 m³), 52 sen (40-60 m³), 90 sen (60-200 m³) and RM1 above 200 m³.

"The best is Selangor also under Pakatan Rakyat because usage of up to 20m3 is free of charge now. The amount of 20m3 is important because it is the average household usage," he said.

“Why the big difference?  The flat rate is not fair to the poor people. No wonder Sabah is the poorest state in Malaysia and the water is not even clean. This is the work of the BN government. I hope that the ministry concerned can re-evaluate the water tariff so as not to burden the rakyat,” he said.

Wong also queried the purchase of two helicopters from Eurocopter on Dec 10, 2009 at a cost of RM33.8 million.

"Is this the market price? The two helicopters were found to be damaged and needed to be fixed. Since April 2011 the helicopters are kept in the hangar and were seldom or never used.

"Why is the government buying scrap iron? ls this effective administration? The cost of storage is rising by the day. I

ask the government if the concept of value for money is applied by the Ministry, he said.

“This helicopter fiasco is serious, where the rakyat money is spent recklessly. What is the Ministry doing about this? “ he asked.