Human Writes: Why is Malaysia still stuck on coal for energy?

A 2018 file photo of a coal-fired power plant in the United States. A record drop in US energy consumption in the first quarter of 2020 was driven by less demand for coal that's burned for electricity. — AP

Inordinately high electricity bills have been a common grouse of the public in recent months in Malaysia. The government is now giving discounts on bills till December 2020. This will bring relief to those hard hit, but, really, what we need to do is go far beyond this and truly tackle electricity reform. Band aid measures won’t do; we need major surgery, akin to a heart bypass and liver and spinal surgery combined!

Plans made last year for energy reform have been shelved. This is a huge mistake. The reforms are urgently needed. But utmost diligence is needed to ensure we do it right.