4 theSun | TUESDAY MARCH 3 2009

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CAWP slams water deal ‘sabotage’

by Karen Arukesamy
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: The Coalition Against
Water Privatisation (CAWP) has condemned
the federal government’s attempt to “sabotage”
the state government’s initiative to restructure
and take over the privatised water concessions
in the state.
CAWP will submit a memorandum sup-
porting the state government’s move to Mentri
Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s office on March
11.
MTUC president Syed Shahir Syed Moha-
mud said the coalition strongly supports the
Selangor state government’s move to control
the water industry and ensure more efficient
distribution of water at lower tariff rates.
MTUC is the chair of CAWP – a collabora-
tion of several NGOs, residential associations
and religious bodies.
“Is the federal government for the conces-
sionaires or for the people?” he asked at a press
conference at the Metal Industry Employees
Union (MIEU) office yesterday.
“If it is for the people, then allow the state
to continue the negotiation and not interfere
until the whole thing is resolved or unless the
negotiation comes to a dead end,” he said.
Syed Shahir pointed that the federal
government should have facilitated the state
government’s move to acquire the assets and
equity of the concessionaires, as part of its own
declared aims of consolidating the country’s
water industry.
It had instead “scuttled” the negotiations
when it announced on Feb 18 that its Pengu-
rusan Aset Air Berhad (PAAB) would negotiate
directly with the companies of the acquisition,
he said.
“The federal government’s announcement
has raised our concern on whether the current
free supply of the first 20 cubic metres of water REUTERS PIC
to all Selangor households will be continued,”
Syed Shahir said.
The coalition’s coordinator, Charles San-
tiago, who is also MP for Klang, explained
that the “sabotage” occurred two days before
a deadline for the concessionaires – Puncak
Niaga (M) Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Pengeluar Air
Selangor Holdings Bhd (Splash), Konsortium
Abass Sdn Bhd (Abass) and Syarikat Bekalan
Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) – to respond to
the state government’s offer.
He said they were supposed to either ac-
cept an offer by the state of RM4.6 billion for
their assets (treatment plants and pipes), and
another RM1.1 billion for their equity or return
with a counter offer.
“The Selangor residents have been bur-
dened over the years with increasingly higher
water tariffs, which are set to be hiked next
month, despite continuing problems of water
quality, supply, disconnections and other pen-
alties and bad service overall,” he said.
Santiago said that according to various
reports Syabas has failed to comply with the
concession agreements, where 72% of the
agreements were awarded via direct nego-
tiations instead of through an open tender
as required. Besides that, more than RM325
million in discrepancy was found between the
summary of contracts awarded in 2005, 2006
and 2007 and Syabas’ review document.
Medical
workers
remove a
Three Malaysians killed in
The company had also spent about RM51.2
million to renovate its office when only RM23.2
body from
the hotel
Taiwan fire
million was approved by the regulator, Jabatan PETALING JAYA: Three Malaysian 36-year-old building on Taiyuan Road
Kawal Selia Selangor. women were among seven people on Taipei’s west side.
“It was also reported that Syabas spent who died in a fire at a hotel in Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-pin said it was not
RM30 million purchasing vehicles, which early Monday morning, Taiwan News caused by an electrical short circuit.
explains why we have to pay high tariffs,” reported. The building used wooden panelling
Santiago said. Taiwan officials identified the three in the walls separating its 27 rooms, but
» See Page 12 as Chin Seok Ling, 26, from Penang; still passed recent fire safety checks.
Low Mee Sim, 40,from Cheras, Kuala The fire, believed to have started in-
Lumpur; and Lee Loo Yee, 37, from side a room on the second floor around
Puchong, Selangor. 2.42am, spread more rapidly than ex-
According to the report, arson was pected, blocking all exits of the hotel.
a possible factor for the fire at White The fire was deemed the most deadly
Snow Hotel, which operates from a incident in the capital in 15 years.

Utusan counter-sues Teresa Kok

PETALING JAYA: Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd,
publisher of the daily Utusan Malaysia, has
counter-sued Seputeh MP Teresa Kok for ac-
cusing the paper of distorting what she said.
In a statement to the media, Utusan said it
had through Messrs Shafee & Co served a writ
and summons on Kok through her lawyer
S.N. Nair & Partners on Feb 27 for allegedly
making defamatory statements about it.
The subject matter of Utusan’s suit is Kok’s
allegation that the daily had twisted and dis-
torted statements she had made over national
media and her own blog about food she was
served while in detention under ISA.
The paper alleged the defamatory state-
ments were made on Sept 22 last year, arising
from statements she made during her press
conference on Sept 19, 2008 where she had
alleged that the daily had memutarbelitkan
(twisted and distorted) her actual words in
their reporting.
According to the press statement, Utusan is
also seeking an order to remove the libelous
article or words from the offending weblog
cum website.
Utusan is also seeking an injunction to re-
strain Kok, whether by herself, her agents or
servants or otherwise, from further publish-
ing or causing to be published the defamatory
words. It also seeks general, special, aggra-
vated and punitive damages, interests, costs
and any reliefs deemed fit by the court.
Kok had late last year filed two suits
amounting to RM130 million against Utusan
for defamation.
In October 2008, Kok sued Utusan and its
columnist Zaini Hassan for RM30 million over
an article that allegedly defamed her over an
allegation that she had “forced” a mosque
from using loudspeakers for the azan.
She filed a second suit for RM100 million
against the paper and its columnist Datuk
Chamil Wariya over Chamil’s story entitled
Politik Baru YB J, which Kok claimed referred
to her either directly or through innuendo.
She had also alleged that the article had
instigated assassination as it had called for the
fictitious MP, “YB J” should be shot.

PNSB gives IRB commitment over staff benefits

SHAH ALAM: Permodalan Negri Selangor
Bhd (PNSB) yesterday gave its commitment
to furnish the Inland Revenue Board (IRB)
with details of all benefits in kind given to
its employees in the past which it had not
declared to the IRB.
A statement issued by the Press Secre-
tariat of the Selangor Mentri Besar’s Office
here said the benefits included those given
to the PNSB chairman and directors.
“PNSB has over the years given its
employees – including its chairman and
members of the board of directors – benefits
in the form of material, cash or both. Among
the benefits are cars and drivers, as well as
holidays for local and international destina-
tions,” the statement said.
It also said that at a meeting yesterday be-
tween PNSB and IRB, the IRB confirmed that
benefits must be included in the EA form
and these included motor vehicles, drivers,
holiday benefits, gifts both in cash and kind
to employees, including the chairman and
the members of the board irrespective of
rank and position in the company.
It said the recent discovery of the state-
controlled company’s failure to include
benefits in kind in the EA forms, which
contravenes the Income Tax Act, was found
out during the ongoing evaluation exercise
in PNSB to enhance the company’s perform-
ance.
Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ib-
rahim had directed PNSB to submit to the
IRB a list of all benefits in kind that the
company had given to its employees in the
past years.
He had said the move was to ensure that
the state subsidiary did not run foul of the
income tax law. – Bernama