Thanks to PBS vice president Daniel Kinsik’s Christmas gift to me, a big headline news in the Borneo Post, which sounds rude, and emotional in a joyful festive season. Pertaining to the issue of “SESB was on the verge of insolvency”, he warned me not to ask Stupid questions, which I openly demanded Daniel’s boss Dr Maximus Ongkili, Minister of the Energy, Green Technology and Water, to reveal the truth behind.
Daniel’s rude and emotional statement, was unbecoming for a political secretary to the relevant Minister. If I was asking Stupid questions, on what’s the truth of the losses, why could power generation cost high etc, so as the rest of the community leaders.
For example, Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce Datuk Michael Lui, expressed his disbelief on “SESB was on the verge of bankruptcy” statement, and he has pointed it out rightly, the statement could evoke panic among the public. PKR Sabah Chairperson Christina Liew demanded the government to come out with a SESB white paper. Are they all Stupid, so ignorant of the state`s energy industry, therefore they should “go back to school” to understand the power generation cost calculation?
All of us know that, SESB`s major shareholder is TNB, a multi billion listed company. Federal Government have injected RM4.2 billion to SESB since 2012 to maintain it’s operation and improve the consistency of power supply. How could SESB continues to loss even with RM4.2 billion injection? Is there another “Waterworks style” of scandal in the making?
I would like to advise Daniel, instead of asking me not to raise up Stupid questions, he should advise his boss, Dr Maximus not to approve Stupid projects, which are White Elephants, with no one benefits from it. For example, the Tawau Green Energy, the first geothermal power plant in the country, no more progress after the site was cleared and logs transported out.
Another White Elephant in the making, could be the mega project which transport the natural gas from West Coast to East Coast to supply fuel to a planned Gas Power Plant in Sandakan, the ambitious Trans Sabah Gas Pipelines (TSGP). This project was announced in November. Total cost for the project is RM4.5 billion, it`s not a private fund initiative or foreign investment, but it’s indeed a huge loan we borrow from Export Import Bank of China, as Federal Government serve as guarantor.
Should we continue with this huge borrowing while SESB was on the verge of insolvency? Eventually who pay for the debts and the incurred interests? We should stop all kind of nonsense project, which will burden the taxpayers.
Daniel, please stop to label us and the public as ignorant to the Energy sector. All of us want to see our power supply affordable to ordinary people, reliable and consistent in it’s supply, and back by environmental consideration. It’s your boss’s duly job to manage the power supply according to the people’s wish. He is the right person accountable for the Energy related issues.
Maximus’s SESB remarks had shocked everyone, including his BN government colleague in state, Deputy Chief Minister Raymond Tan. Please refer to Raymond’s interview in See Hua Daily. I seldom agree with Raymond, but this time i was with him, how could Sabah to continue to attract foreign investment and promote industrial development given the risk that the sole power provider in the state, could bankrupt at anytime?
And now, we want the solutions. Daniel, your job is to help your boss to resolve the issues, not happily quarrel with oppositions.