KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s water and electricity woes took centre stage at the debate session during the state assembly sitting, as lawmakers called on the government to resolve the issues effectively.
Every assemblyman given the floor to speak during Tuesday’s (May 23) session touched on the state’s basic infrastructure issues including road conditions.
Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Senallang) said the state’s perennial water supply problem has now worsened, also affecting city and town areas, compared to only rural locations previously.
“Now, even areas like Kota Kinabalu and Tuaran, which is the Chief Minister’s (Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor) own area, are hit with the problem,” said the former chief minister, when debating the motion of thanks on the state government policy speech delivered by the head of state the previous day.
“When we raise these issues, they must be addressed, we can’t just be waiting for (the Federal Government) to resolve them.
“But we have never heard about water supply problems in Sarawak or Brunei,” said Mohd Shafie, who is also Parti Warisan president.
At this juncture, Jonnybone J Kurum (GRS-Telupid) stood and asked Mohd Shafie what issues he identified as the challenges in overcoming the issue when the latter was the federal rural and regional development minister.
“There were many, I have said before ... corruption,” Mohd Shafie replied, before adding, “monopoly is another.”
“We should appoint contractors with the capabilities to overcome the issue, there should not be any monopoly.
“Hence, we should reform (the state’s water management),” he added.
Mohd Shafie also urged the state not to allow Putrajaya to take over the state’s water management even if the Sabah government accepted financial assistance from it.
Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob (GRS-Sindumin) also believed the present water management structure needed change, adding that the 2016 Sabah Water Department scandal case, which is ongoing in court, had further demoralised its staff.
“In conclusion, we have failed to manage the water supply.
“It is about time we emulate the water management in developed countries like Singapore, or even in (states like) Selangor.
“For rural communities, the borehole gravity water system or rainwater harvesting system must be implemented and given more funding,” he said.
On power, Yusof said the electricity supply was an issue due to the need for the approval from the Energy Commission for the construction of power stations in Sabah.
He said this would be resolved when Sabah has its own energy commission or Energy Commission of Sabah next year.
“The government needs to take steps to invest heavily through its own government-linked companies (GLCs) or through joint ventures with foreign investors.
“Sabah GLCs must also take on this responsibility (to resolve the water woes),” he said.
Yusof asked about utility company Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) and the state’s plans to effectively address the power supply issue.
“What is the power demand projection for the next five years? How many independent power plants have been approved or (are still) needed?” he asked.
Nominated assemblyman Dr Aliakbar Gulasan (GRS) said the government needed to quickly come up with a policy to manage squatter colonies in the state in order to address the electricity and water woes.
“According to data from the state Local Government and Housing Ministry, there are 169 squatter colonies in Sabah, involving some 24,000 homes.
“There must be a policy on this. If not, the (water and power) problems will persist,” he said.
