COMMENT | Today, parts of the Klang Valley are experiencing water service interruption as repair works are carried out at the SSP3 Water Treatment Plant. This is not a rationing exercise as falsely claimed, but a temporary 24-hour interruption to allow essential repairs to be carried out without disrupting the Chinese New Year festivities.

Ahead of this simple maintenance exercise, BN has attempted to politicise this as part of the drawn-out Selangor water restructuring plan. There is no connection between the two, but BN’s cheap attempt to score political points raises some burning questions about their sincerity in completing the water deal in partnership with the state, or if they are covering up a federal financial crisis.

The Selangor government’s plan is to consolidate the state water industry under a single publicly-owned operator, managed in trust for the people, that will lead to efficient, effective, competitive and sustainable service.

Under our national water policy, the federal government is supposed to use its finances to acquire state water assets, to make it more cost-effective for states to manage.

The process has been partially completed in Selangor, but the restructuring exercise has been dragged out because the federal government is either unwilling or unable to pay for the remaining assets to be acquired. The federal government is now the source of all delays in the process.

An independent valuation of the remaining water assets was submitted by the Selangor government to federal authorities and tabled in the cabinet in May 2017. The federal government has also done its own valuation on the water assets, yet they insist on asking Selangor state to name the price. This is nonsensical since the federal government will be the buyer.

They have two independent valuations. They just need to pick the price and foot the bill. The ball is very clearly in the federal government’s court, no matter how much they try to deflect it...