Water deal: Azmin made a major mistake says Zaid

Zaid Ibrahim says it will take a long time before another viable deal on water can be put together.

PETALING JAYA: Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has said that the Selangor menteri besar has made a “major” mistake in calling off the water deal signed between his predecessor and Putrajaya in September 12, 2014.

In a tweet just hours ago, Zaid said: “Azmin(s) first mistake but a major one. He should have allowed water deal (to) go through. He must know it takes time to do another deal.”

Yesterday, it was reported that Azmin Ali explained the water deal fell through because the Selangor state government was unwilling to give Putrajaya for free, the land where the water pipes were located.

“They want the land for free, the land does not belong to them. What was stated in the agreement and agreed upon by both sides was to handover the assets owned by the concessionaires,” Azmin maintained.

However sticking to his guns and calling off the deal could cost Pakatan Rakyat dearly, from a political viewpoint, said Zaid, in assessing the current state of affairs.

“Come election time water will be key issue in Selangor. Pakatan wil(l) be judged by this issue more than any other.”

Azmin however has maintained that if Selangor agreed to give the land away for free, it would lose its sovereignty on the land. He also appeared confident that Selangorians would support the state’s move wholeheartedly.