Selangor consumers will get their 20 cubic metres of free water from this month as the stalemate in the deal has been resolved… with the state government agreeing to compensate up to RM11 million monthly to Syabas through the state investment arm Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd (KDEB). [Bernama]
When the plan was first announced in March, MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has said that the free water policy is implemented by reducing the cost per unit of usage and the state government (and the taxpayers) need not pay subsidies to Syabas… looks like Pak Lah is not the only one that is good at flip-flopping.
Well, Selangor folks would not need to pay the water bill from their own pocket, but is the water really free? Those money are coming from the state government after all… money that can be spent on improving infrastructures, productivity and quality of living in other ways which in the end will benefit the people in long term.
Is this the right thing for the Selangor government to do? I am not sure. I don’t like the concept of subsidies (of any kind) at the first place… Malaysians have been pampered for way too long with the subsidies, so long that some of us have been taken it for granted and lost the sense of competitiveness.
Update June 19 – the water is not really free, seriously. Consumers will still have to pay a RM6 minimal (service) charge to Syabas.