KOTA KINABALU: The public is asked to cooperate in helping Sabah Electric Sdn Bhd (SESB) in dealing with the problem of cable theft affecting electricity supply.
The president of Sabah’s West Coast Intelligent Consumers Association, David Chan, said that without support and help from the public, it would be difficult for the authorities to act against irresponsible parties, thus causing problems for the people.
According to him, the case of electric cable theft or any vandalism activity needs to be dealt with in an integrated manner and cannot rely solely on the authorities.
“In this issue, the public needs to be the eyes and ears of the SESB and the authorities. The case of cable theft not only causes the electricity supply to be cut off but also causes losses to the state of Sabah.
“We hope this issue is given serious attention including involving non-governmental organizations and community leaders,” he said.
He commented on the incident of cable theft which caused the Sabah State Government Administration Center, Menara Kinabalu, to experience a power outage.
It is understood that SESB had to place 6 portable generators (Gensets) to supply electricity to the building.
The generator was sent to ensure that the operation of the 33-storey building, which also houses the Sabah Chief Minister’s Office and several state ministries, was not affected.
In addition, it is also understood that the provision of mobile power is also to ensure that the weekly meeting of the state Cabinet held every Wednesday runs smoothly.
Some residential and commercial premises in the nearby area also experienced power outages recently.
“The case of cable theft has caused hardship to many parties because SESB may need a few days to a week to repair the supply.
“We understand that this case of theft also happens very often, and it is appropriate that this activity be curbed immediately and that activity be eradicated from the roots,” he stressed.
He also urged that the premises of second-hand goods or second-hand goods that bought the stolen goods should also be subject to severe and strict action because they were also complicit in the case.
David is confident that if there is no buyer for the stolen goods, it is unlikely that there will be cable theft because the price of copper is usually very high and is in demand from traders.
