KOTA KINABALU: DAP Sabah has expressed its disappointment over Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) refusal to offer any discounts or rebates to consumers who suffered from the recent statewide power outage.
Its head Jimmy Wong, who is also member of parliament here, said SESB should acknowledge that despite calling themselves the victim, consumers were actually the biggest victim in such circumstances and deserved compensation for their losses.
“We understand that SESB also incurred losses during the power outage, but offering good and stable power supply is their job and responsibility and it is undeniable that SESB has failed to deliver.
“Therefore, consumers demanding for discount or compensation is fair and reasonable enough as they are the real victims here,” he said in a statement yesterday.
As such, Wong reckoned that SESB should offer discounts or rebates for this month’s electricity bill to consumers affected by the power outage.
He said he will bring up the issue and Sabah’s power policy in the coming Parliament sitting.
He said the Federal or State government should tell the public what they are going to do to overcome the rampant power disruptions in Sabah and should disclose the whole plan or blueprint in order to resolve the problem.
He also reminded Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak not to forget his promises to build Lahad Datu’s Liquified Natural Gas ( LNG) power plant to provide bigger capacity of electricity supply to Sabah consumers, particularly crucial for the east coast.
Wong urged the government to expedite the construction of the gas-powered power plant in Lahad Datu.
The government should prepare funding to ensure the construction of the gas-powered power plant runs smoothly and is built in time so that power supply would be sufficient and possibly resolve power supply interruption in the State.
He hoped that the Barisan Nasional (BN) government could show sincerity to discuss this issue with the elected opposition representatives and together find out the solution to overcome the power outage problem in the future.
He also suggested that the next Sabah State Legislative Assembly sitting should discuss on this issue.
A comprehensive compensation mechanism of SESB should be established in no time to show its fairness and responsibility to the consumers,Wong suggested.