Don't blame unpaid water bills for Sabah's poor water supply, says Junz Wong

KOTA KINABALU: The state government should not blame RM262mil of unpaid water bills as among the factors in the failure to provide proper water supply to the consumers, says Datuk Junz Wong.

"It looks like they are pushing the blame for the water problem onto Sabahans. Certainly, he is trying to divert people’s attention so that people don’t focus on the real problem of poor water supply," claimed the Parti Warisan vice-president.

Junz was commenting on Deputy Chief Minister III cum Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya's disclosure that consumers owed RM262mil to the state Water Department in arrears.

"The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah government should focus on performance and rendering services to the rakyat. If there are fewer grievances, surely people will pay willingly.

"I’ll advise people to pay up but GRS has to set the priority right," he said in a statement Friday (Jan 12).

He said diverting attention and blaming others won’t solve the water woes or the electricity woes in the state.

"Real competence must be exercised with the right people and approach in order to resolve these basic needs," he said, adding that the state government had been promising to resolve the problem for the last three years.

"People continue to suffer with dry taps and even salty water. They have to be efficient," Wong said about Sabah's perennial water woes and the saline water from taps in Sandakan.

He said that in the first place, the department should have acted on the unpaid bills and not allowed them to bloat.

"It is a reflection of poor management," he said, adding that annually the Water Department receives an allocation for its operational and development cost under the state Budget.

He said the state government set up a special committee almost a year ago to resolve water issues and just this week, another committee headed by the State Secretary has been set to overlook water and electricity issues.

"Why is there a need for task forces and committees when the issue remains without solutions," he added.