Improved power supply shelved for Taib’s dams?

Opposition DAP claims that funds meant for the ‘reinforcement and expansion’ of power supply by Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation (Sesco) has been hijacked.

KUCHING: A 15-hour power outage in some parts of Kuching has led a furious Sarawak DAP to accuse the state government and Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation (Sesco) of failing to carry out its promised 10-year master plan to reinforce and expand power supply to the city.

The master plan, conceived 15 years ago, was to study the potential increase in the power demand and how to cater for such a rise.

Under the plan, Sesco has a standard procedure and policy to ensure the power supply to the city would not be interrupted.

Said Sarawak DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen: “Following the power outage in Kuching a few days ago, I made some investigation, which revealed that many of the proposed projects in the plan were not carried out.

“Sesco is said to have standard procedure where the reserved power plants could supply electricity if the main plants shut down or when major cables break down.

“But the state government and Sesco have failed to adhere to the policy. It shows that not only Sesco should be held responsible, but the state government should also bear responsibility.”

Chong, who is Bandar Kuching MP and Kota Sentosa assemblyman, also wanted to know how the state government and Sesco were going to compensate the consumers and remedy the wrong that has been done.

“The power failure has caused businessmen to lose several millions of ringgit.

“This matter should be given priority by the state government and Sesco so that the interest of Sarawakians in general to enjoy uninterrupted electricity supply should not be compromised by the dam-building projects.

“We urge the state government and Sesco to give full explanation as to why there was no further 10-year master plan for reinforcement and expansion on the electricity supply to Kuching after the 1997 master plan,” he said, adding that he would raise the issue in the next State Legislative Assembly sitting.

Chong said that the majority of the funds meant for the projects under the master plan has been channelled instead to the building of mega dams, seen as Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s pet project.