YOURSAY | ‘The govt may not win GE16 if it keeps administering this way.’

Top 1pct domestic electricity users will see increased tariffs

Salvage Malaysia: I understand that the government is subsidising electricity. But when TNB (Tenaga Nasional Berhad), which is majority-owned by the government can report a record RM1 billion in profits in three months, why can’t these government-linked companies (GLCs) do their part to subsidise it, instead of the government?

If this Madani government keeps administering this way, I’m afraid to say that they may not win the 16th general election (GE16), assuming they can last a full term. It’s just like banks giving a moratorium. The amount deferred still needs to be paid back by the borrower and banks charge interest on the deferred amount.

Again, banks are reporting billions in profits. Why can’t they do their part to really subsidise borrowers? In 1997, when these banks have problems, they were bailed out using taxpayers’ money.

The system is not right and this Madani government is not really making the change that the rakyat is expecting.

Apaci: This is the worst strategy, what’s the cost savings, may I ask? Is there any detailed study being made about this matter? This strategy is discriminating and even illegal.

The weather in this country is really hot and humid. Running the air-conditioner is not a luxury but a necessity. Nowadays, many work from home, so there is a need to use the aircon to have a more comfortable environment.

Have you ever entered a public office and seen a room with the aircon in full blast even though there is no one around? If you want to save costs, the best is to reduce the aircon in public offices. In such offices, shut down the aircon from 12pm-2pm. Do not start the aircon at 7am, start instead at 9am and shut it down at 4pm as nobody is around.

Vijay47: If that 1 percent of consumers from 83,000 households presently chalk up a monthly bill of more than RM700, then I suppose the additional RM175 they must fork out cannot be all that devastating.

Anyway, how does one end up getting a bill of at least RM700 per month? Either they couldn’t be bothered to exercise some control over consumption, or they are operating a sawmill at home. And a printing press.

I remember when I was a child, anyone of us who left a room without switching off the lights or leaving the tap running would at once experience my mother’s experiments in the stretching of ears. That is a lesson I inculcated in my children and now, in my grandchildren.

Is the top 1 percent saddled with higher electricity bills? Nah, not at all shocking.

PurpleGopher1703: Sometimes in a kampung area, many extended families live together in one common house. Usually, the grandpa built the house, the parents, uncles, and aunties continue living there after getting married and the children all live in the same communal house.

Most of these families are not rich, otherwise, they will also buy their own condominium unit or bungalow like city folks. Just drive around a kampung and hopefully, you understand.

Don't be surprised to find around four to five families with a total of 20 kids of different ages living under the same roof. Yes, their electricity bill will be high.

RM700 is the starting point, while RM400 per month is the current rate. Like all else in life, inflation will make sure that over the years the average bill is going to creep toward the RM700 threshold.

There is no promise though that the RM700 threshold will remain the goal post, or will it be lowered to who knows RM500? It’s a case of “I tak kena so lantaklah” (I am not in the category, so who cares?). But when you are also in the category, it would be too late to protest.

Nash: There is also a kampung in my area, and we are in a Pakatan Harapan state. I volunteer with the local assemblyperson’s office and always try to be on the field as much as possible to gauge what needs to be done better.

No kampung folk ever came to us with an RM700 electricity bill. I know a house that has 15 family members, and they belong to the lower M40 category. They only have two air cons in the whole house. Many of you don’t really understand how hard to reach that RM700 bill if you live a modest lifestyle.

I helped a children’s home before that has about 22-25 kids of various ages. We help to pay their bills. I never encountered an electricity bill that is above RM500.

Apanama is back: Merely targeting high users or the rich to pay more is not a long-term solution.

The first thing to do is cut down the unnecessary departments within the government. We are paying billions of ringgits to departments that are redundant.

Secondly, cut down the bloated civil service. I won’t apologise here for spooking whoever. This is a waste of taxpayers’ money.

Lastly, break up TNB into three companies and let them compete for customers. The root causes of this electricity tariff are wastage and monopoly.

Purple Leopard8279: Weak ringgit and low-interest rates are the cause (of the tariff hike). We are stuck in a low-value economy because of political expediency and an easy way out of maintaining a low-value economy and high employment. There’s no political stability so you can forget about expediency and do what’s right but painful.

Just a Malaysian: The country is in a death grip. Subsidise to help fight inflation and worsen the country's balance sheet or tighten spending and burden the suffering rakyat. Either way, we are stuck. Sixty years of wastage left us with nothing but high debts and unproductive overheads.

To move forward, we need drastic changes and significant pain. To stay the same means we continue to slide into Turkiye or Sri Lanka scenarios. I don’t envy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. There are very difficult choices ahead.

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