By Khairul Khalid
Khalid Ibrahim
Selangor Menteri Besar (MB) Khalid Ibrahim and Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water (Kettha) Maximus Ongkili no longer agree over Selangor’s water restructuring plans, claims Klang member of parliament Charles Santiago.
“I think both Khalid and Ongkili are clearly on different pages over the enforcement of WSIA (Water Services Industry Act) to take over Selangor’s water assets,” said Santiago to KiniBiz.
“The pressure is now on Khalid. Ongkili is in control,” added Santiago in casting serious doubts on Selangor’s water restructuring.
The Klang MP explains that after meeting Ongkili outside the parliament yesterday to talk about the water issue, the Kettha minister had confirmed that the federal government will be controlling Selangor’s water assets and the leading agency will be SPAN (National Water Services Commission).
This is at odds with Khalid’s assertions that the Selangor state government will be in complete control of the water industry after the takeover, not the federal government.
Yesterday, the MB released an official statement confirming that the forced federal takeover under WSIA is still on track and he had managed to “settle a few loose ends regarding the final steps in invoking Section 114 of WSIA” after a meeting with Ongkili.
No further information was given despite the MB’s previous promise to reveal specific details of the water restructuring this week.
“The losers are the Selangor people. They (the federal government) have got Langat 2 approved. The state doesn’t have much leverage anymore. The whole WSIA thing is being used to buy time. For what reasons? I am not sure why,” said Santiago.
The federal government enacted WSIA after three out of the four concessionaires failed to agree on the latest offer of RM9.65 billion stated in the MoU (memorandum of understanding) to resolve the longstanding water restructuring issue.
The joint announcement of WSIA had raised hopes that the five-year wrangling over control of Selangor’s water industry would finally come to a conclusion.
Many thought that the invoking of WSIA would lead to a rapid federal takeover of the concessionaires. The Selangor state would then eventually assume control of the water assets, as stated in the MoU, and in return the state would fast track the controversial Langat 2 water treatment plant.
Maximus Ongkili
However, in recent weeks there has been a series of conflicting messages by both Khalid and Ongkili since the joint announcement of invoking WSIA.
“The federal government is not really interested in enforcing section 114 of WSIA. They are buying time and pussyfooting on gazetting Section 114 (of WSIA) that they say is going to take a long time,” claimed Santiago. “It was made very apparent from my conversation with Ongkili yesterday.”
The Klang MP says that the federal government’s modus operandi is still “willing buyer, willing seller” because they are afraid of sending wrong messages to investors.
“Even if WSIA is enforced, it will be used in a limited way. The water assets and revenues will still be owned by the respective water concessionaires until the state can agree on a deal with them,” said Santiago.
Dzulkefly Ahmad, a member of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) water committee is also frustrated over how things have developed, especially after the invoking of WSIA.
“Both parties (state and federal) have always sidestepped the critical questions of timeline. There is no transparency in the implementation of WSIA. All of this “ding-dong” and conflicting back and forth statements have to end now,” said Dzulkefly.
The executive director of PAS (Parti Islam SeMalaysia) Research Center demands that the state and federal governments immediately reveal all details of the Selangor restructuring plans, including implementation of WSIA, in an unequivocal and accountable manner.
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