Tricia Yeoh refutes BN's propaganda on 'water crisis'

If only she could get more mainstream media coverage to counter BN's lies to undermine Selangor state government.

There are many people who are not exposed to the internet, who believe what they read in the newspapers or watched on national television. Almost daily, I have to argue with some of my breakfast companions who asked for explanation on matters such as: Lim Guan Eng's control on the use of the word 'Penang', what about 'char koay teow'? (never mind the silliness of thinking LGE is trying to control such names); Kota Bharu municipality's prohibition on unisex salons (even though it was an isolated case); Selangor's water crisis; and so on. I hope by highlighting some relevant articles in my blog, I can help to disseminate some truth to counter blatant lies.

Excerpt of Tricia's article 'Don't muddy the water issue' in The Sun:

"The central issue here is whether or not the pumps have actually been well-maintained to operate consistently without breaking down. The responsibility to maintain these pumps falls under Syabas and not the Selangor government. According to standard operating procedure, "preventive periodic maintenance" is a basic requirement that should have been conducted by specific capable contractors. This was apparently conducted up to 2008, after which it was only done whenever a pump was damaged."

"...The water industry is regulated by SPAN (National Water Services Commission). Syabas has unfortunately demonstrated its inability to manage its equipment efficiently, when it should have investigated the root problem even before it became a problem by following SOPs and best practices."

"Added to this is a revelation in the Auditor-General's Audit Report for the operating period of 2009-2011, which showed among other things that the funds Syabas received for capital expenditure (capex) from the Selangor government were used for operating expenditure (opex). If such funds were necessary for the upgrading of water pumps, then they should not have been misallocated."

"Some have also raised the question of why the Selangor government lays the blame squarely on Syabas when it holds 30% of its shares. Although this means attending board meetings and access to documents, Selangor is still the minority shareholder, and has no role in dealing with day-to-day operations. In fact, the federal government through its Finance Ministry Incorporated holds the golden share of Syabas, which allows them to flex some muscles. Nowhere in the concession agreement (which, by the way, is also signed by the federal government) does it say that maintenance of pump stations falls under the jurisdiction of the state government."

More:
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/597743


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