By Daniel John Jambun, Pesident Change Advocate Movement Sabah (CAMOS)
KOTA KINABALU: Change Advocate Movement Sabah (CAMOS) takes note of the announcement by Masidi Manjun that the State Cabinet has agreed in principle to corporatise Sabah’s water supply services.
While CAMOS acknowledges that improvements in efficiency, governance, and service delivery are urgently needed, we emphasise that water is not merely a utility — it is a fundamental public trust and a strategic State resource.
Corporatisation, if poorly designed or inadequately safeguarded, risks becoming a pathway to commercialisation and eventual privatisation. Sabah’s experience with public assets shows that such processes often begin with assurances of efficiency but later evolve into reduced public accountability, higher costs to consumers, and diminished State control.
In Sabah’s unique context, water governance is inseparable from:
the rights and welfare of rural and interior communities,
native customary lands, and
Sabah’s constitutional autonomy under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Any restructuring of the State’s water services must therefore be approached with utmost caution.
CAMOS is particularly concerned that:
No details have been disclosed regarding the consultant appointed to conduct the corporatisation study, including their terms of reference or methodology.
There has been no public consultation with stakeholders, civil society, or affected communities.
No clear guarantees have been provided on long-term State ownership and control.
CAMOS therefore calls on the Sabah Government to publicly commit to the following minimum safeguards:
Full and permanent State ownership of any corporatised water entity, with no future dilution.
An explicit prohibition of privatisation, whether direct or indirect.
Statutory protection for rural and interior water supply obligations, ensuring no community is sidelined on commercial grounds.
Publication of the consultant’s report in full for public scrutiny.
Legislative oversight by the Sabah State Assembly, not merely Cabinet-level control.
A clear bar on federal agencies or external GLCs acquiring influence over Sabah’s water resources.
Major structural reforms affecting essential services must not be decided behind closed doors or rushed through executive processes. Sabahans deserve transparency, consultation, and firm legal guarantees.
CAMOS reiterates: efficiency must never come at the expense of autonomy, equity, or public control. Water is a basic right and a sovereign State resource — it must remain firmly in Sabah hands.
