MEDIA STATEMENT
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Energy, Water and Communications Minister Lim Keng Yaik was reported as saying that the Cabinet had decided to bypass the setting up of a Committee because his Ministry was well versed with the problems currently plaguing the industry (The Star, 23 March 2005). The government may be aware of the problems facing the industry, but it is out of touch with the concerns of the public, including consumers, civil society groups and environmentalists. Many Malaysians are already sick of privatisation and are worried that the new laws will pave the way for full-blown water privatisation. The views of ordinary Malaysians must be heard. The Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 2004, which empowers the Federal government to take over water management from the states, was passed on 18 Jan 2005. Two more Bills - the National Water Services Commission Bill (to facilitate the setting up of a regulatory body) and the Water Services Industry Bill - are expected to be tabled next month. The Cabinet had decided on 19 January 2005 that the the bills would be referred to a Parliamentary Select Committee and Bernama had even reported that the Committee would be set up during the current session of Parliament, which began on Monday, 21 March 2005. The Committee, which was to have been chaired by Lim and would have included Opposition members, was supposed to go around the country to collect feedback and carry out further study - a process that would have taken three to six months. Unfortunately the only road-show so far has been one carried out by Lim's Ministry, which has so far visited six states to brief state leaders and their executive councils on the bills. What about the public - shouldn't they be briefed on the Bills as well, shouldn't their views be taken into consideration and shouldn't they be assured that these new laws will not lead to water privatisation and exorbitant tariff hikes? Instead, Malaysians are still in the dark about these new Bills, especially the Water Services Industry Bill. After openly stating that it would set up a Parliamentary Select Committee to consider the views of the public, the government appears to have gone back on its word. This reneging of a promise does not reflect well on the Barisan-led government; it runs counter to Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's pledge to instil ethics and integrity into government. What happened to "Don't work for me, but work with me?" How is the public expected to work with him when their views are dismissed as of no consequence? The government has to respond to the views and needs of the people and not arbitrarily decide what is good for them. It should get rid of its "We know best" attitude. This kind of attitude has already landed the country in a mess in many areas and a lot of money has already been squandered, thus burdening taxpayers and the public. We demand total transparency and democratic participation in any attempt to introduce these laws, which will have far-reaching implications for the management of water resources and for the public. Aliran Executive Committee 24 March 2005
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