DAP Sabah warning of power tariff hike after GE14 is baseless — Kinsik
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) vice president, Datuk Daniel Kinsik, yesterday reiterate his call for his political nemesis in DAP, Chan Foong Hin, to equip himself with facts and figures before criticizing.
In rebuking the DAP Sabah secretary’s recent statement that the electricity tariff in Sabah may be hiked after the 14th general election, Kinsik said, such comment was baseless and confusing.
“He (Chan) must understand that the electricity tariff between East and West Malaysia is determined by a mechanism called Incentive Based Regulation (IBR). So, I would suggest that he should stop commenting if he doesn’t understand the concept. It makes him look stupid,” said Kinsik, who is also the political secretary to Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Maximus Ongkili.
Kinsik explained that the IBR was implemented in Peninsular Malaysia three years ago, where in effort to avoid increasing the electricity tariff, the government gave a rebate of RM1.2 sen/kWh totaling RM929.37 million, to avoid burdening the people.
Presently, the Government bears the electricity tariff rebates of RM1.80 sen/kWh, including absorbing the fuel surcharge of 0.28 sen.
“There are plans to implement similar mechanism in Sabah, and we are expecting that to happen by mid next year,” said Kinsik.
He further stressed that the government will continue and always be responsible not to burden the people with unjustified tariff increases.
“Unlike the opposition, who only talk but were unable to deliver anything as proven in Penang, Selangor and Kelantan. They promised to cancel the toll in Selangor but couldn’t do anything. In the end, it’s the BN government who abolished tolls in the three states,” he said.
In announcing Budget 2018, Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced that toll stations at Batu Tiga, Shah Alam and Sungai Rasau, Selangor; Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah; and the Eastern Dispersal Link in Johor, will be abolished by January 1 next year.