KOTA KINABALU: It is unfair to continuously blame utility company Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) for all the power disruptions in the state, says a consumer group.
Sabah West Coast Smart Consumers Association president David Chan feels that it is not fair for politicians to condemn everything instead of working with the government to seek solutions.
“They should come up with good suggestions to address issues, not condemn each other because it doesn’t work at the end of the day,” he said in a statement Wednesday (Jan 24).
His statement comes after state opposition leader Parti Warisan set up a watchdog to keep tabs on SESB amid daily concerns over insufficient power supply in the state.
The outfit, called the Sabah Electricity Watchdog (SEW), will be headed by Sri Tanjung assemblyman Justin Wong, who has been appointed to comment on such problems.
SEW’s objective is to ensure that electricity consumers and investors receive value for money in terms of power supply and services rendered.
Wong said the service provided by SESB to the people of Sabah is below the required standard and not on par with similar major utilities in Peninsular Malaysia.
On this, Chan said SESB staff and management have been putting a lot of effort into rectifying power supply problems in the state.
“As we are all aware, SESB recently saw two IPPs being shut down for maintenance and repair works,” he said, adding that SESB has been monitoring the works and power supply.
He said the grid system was restored earlier than scheduled, although the work conducted was complicated and strenuous.
“We should praise the technical teams for their good work. Excessive criticism is a discouragement and disappointment to the workers,” said Chan.
“We know SESB handles high voltage matters day and night, during blackouts, even in heavy rain and thunderstorms,” he said.
He said such workers risked their lives just to ensure that Sabahans got the best services.
He sympathises with the workers and their families, and he hopes that efforts to stabilise and provide more power supply to the people can be implemented soon.
These include the repair works on the Tenom hydroelectric power plant, the provision of more solar power plants, and other renewable energy sources, he said.
