SANDAKAN – It may be another 20 years before villagers in Kg Sundang Laut get direct power supply from Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) as it is still labelled a squatter settlement.
The villagers have been appealing for more than two decades for their land to be gazetted as an official village.
Kg Sundang Laut has more than 1,600 villagers and is only one of three here that are still paying their electricity bills through a third party – an appointed independent power distributor (IPD) that will then submit the actual payment to SESB.
The other two villages in a similar predicament here are Kg Bongaya Baru and Kg Batu Sapi Laut.
Sekong assemblyman Alias Sani said there is a higher possibility for Kg Bongaya Baru to get direct power supply from SESB as it has been gazetted as a village recently.
He said he had arranged a meeting with SESB in Kota Kinabalu to discuss the issue, but was cancelled due to Covid-19 surge.
“There is also a funding issue. We do not know if SESB has the funds to do this because if power is to be supplied directly to the village, the utility company needs to fork out a big sum of money to install electricity poles and wiring.
“But this only applies to Kg Bongaya Baru. For Kg Sundang Laut, it may take longer before it is gazetted.”
Electricity poles and wiring in the three villages were set up by the previous IPD, a company that was rejected by the villagers.
Villagers complained of dangerous installations and overly expensive electricity charges.
https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/2142/batu-sapi-folk-want-electricity-middleman-booted-out
Alias said a lot of work needs to be done to resolve the problem in Kg Sundang Laut.
The first step is to have a discussion with Sandakan Municipal Council on the village’s status, but again, it is put on hold due to the recent spike in Covid-19.
Meanwhile, although hampered by the pandemic, Alias is spending his own money to buy and distribute food packs to the poor in Sekong.
He said he has 500 packs for single mothers and orphans, and 300 have been distributed in Kg Cenderamata, Kg Istimewa and Kg Bambangan.
“I hope the state government will consider allocating RM200,000 for all 73 state seats, and just the ones in red zones. Doing this will only cost the state RM14.6 million.
“I hope the allocation will be distributed even if the state is held by the opposition,” he said. – The Vibes, October 26, 2020
