WATER problems in Sabah and Kelantan are not new, but the respective management in both states have to take responsibility for the predicament they are in now.
I say this as they were warned many times over their lack of planning and foresight.
It is good news that the federal government is willing to spend RM1 billion to resolve the problem. Given the allocation that must truly benefit the rakyat, I am of the opinion that Putrajaya must be the main player by assuming the role of planner and executor of projects involving water in both states.
This is based on the assumption that the RM1 billion allocation is a grant and not a loan – as depending on these categories, it will determine which party executes the plan.
At present, the states owe large sums of money to the federal government as loans were approved for water-related projects. However, most of the time, these projects end up being delayed due to the poor management of the state governments.
As such, if the projects were to be executed and delivered on time, Putrajaya has to run it by making sure the right companies are awarded the job and finish it.
For instance, if Putrajaya provides a state with a loan, guarantees must be in place to ensure the projects are completed on time and within the given budget.
What would entail these guarantees will be down to the negotiation skills of the ministry in charge. To succeed, states must give their 100% commitment with full cooperation on state land matters to ensure that the project is successful.
Another suggestion would be to have a public-private partnership with private equity with the returns to be between 6 tp 8% returns over a period of time.
In my opinion, profits should be limited to protect the end-user, resulting in a win-win solution for all including state water companies who will sell water to end users at a controlled rate.
On the other hand, state water companies must be efficient in their operations and not become profit-oriented.
Now that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is at the helm of the country, I am sure it can be done.
Management is the core word, we should share our resources for the betterment of society.
Water is life and life is water. – The Vibes, May 16, 2023
Datuk Dr Xavier Jayakumar is former Kuala Langat MP
