Water issue: Is it being politicised or reflective of gov't's financial troubles?

Today, parts of the Klang Valley are experiencing water service interruption as repair works are carried out at the SSP3 Water Treatment Plant. This is not a rationing exercise as falsely claimed, but a temporary 24-hour interruption to allow essential repairs to be carried out without disrupting the Chinese New Year festivities.

Ahead of this simple maintenance exercise, BN has attempted to politicise this as part of the drawn-out Selangor water restructuring plan. There is no connection between the two, but BN’s cheap attempt to score political points raises some burning questions about their sincerity in completing the water deal in partnership with the state, or if they are covering up a federal financial crisis.

The Selangor government’s plan is to consolidate the state water industry under a single publicly-owned operator, managed in trust for the people, that will lead to efficient, effective, competitive and sustainable service.

Under our national water policy, the federal government is supposed to use its finances to acquire state water assets, to make it more cost-effective for states to manage.

The process has been partially completed in Selangor, but the restructuring exercise has been dragged out because the federal government is either unwilling or unable to pay for the remaining assets to be acquired. The federal government is now the source of all delays in the process.

An independent valuation of the remaining water assets was submitted by the Selangor government to federal authorities and tabled in the cabinet in May 2017. The federal government has also done its own valuation on the water assets, yet they insist on asking Selangor state to name the price. This is nonsensical since the federal government will be the buyer.

They have two independent valuations. They just need to pick the price and foot the bill. The ball is very clearly in the federal government’s court, no matter how much they try to deflect it.

The cabinet decision on completing Selangor’s water restructuring was pushed back from May to October 2017, now to later in 2018.

This excessive delay on the part of the federal government leads us to ask two questions. Is it part of a political ploy to cause suffering to Selangor consumers and embarrassment to the state government ahead of elections? Or is it a symptom of a deeper problem with federal finances?

A recent report in The Straits Times (16/2/18) revealed that the amount of interest paid to service debt by the federal government is some RM31 billion, equal to its entire income tax collection or two-thirds of GST revenue, and more than double the amount paid in 2009. The federal government is now taking on 1MDB’s debt, which is at least RM42 billion. Is there insufficient federal money to fulfil the national water policy and complete the restructuring exercise? Putrajaya must answer.

The latest distraction is the harebrained proposal from Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor (in photo) and Minister for Energy, Green Technology and Water, Maximus Ongkili for Kuala Lumpur to source its water from Putrajaya instead of Selangor, on the vague insinuation that Selangor cannot be relied upon. Selangor has consistently catered for Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya’s water needs, if they help Selangor, they will help the federal territories.

If the federal government backs Tengku Adnan’s politically-motivated scheme, we will know that its delay over financing the Selangor water restructuring is simply for political mileage, to victimize Selangor and its consumers.

If federal cannot come up with the money for either Selangor’s water restructuring or Tengku Adnan’s smokescreen then there may be a deeper problem with federal finances.

The federal government must come clean on whether they are delaying the conclusion of the restructuring exercise in order to play it up before the general election, or if they are covering up the federal government’s inability to foot the bill.

BN is acutely aware that Selangor is a model state, a shining example of how much better Putrajaya could be run if Pakatan Harapan took over. This is why there is a relentless effort to pervert and misrepresent Selangor’s achievements and aspirations.

The Selangor state government is acting in good faith for the people based on its policy that the benefits of the state’s wealth should be returned to and enjoyed by its citizens. Water is a precious right and should not be politicised.

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YIN SHAO LOONG is Strategic Communications Director of the Selangor Menteri Besar’s Office. -Mkini