So is there going to be water rebate in Selangor? Or not?

With the fuel prices going up so high, and the anticipation that other prices are also going to go up, the free water that was promised by the Selangor MB previously would really come in handy for Selangor folk. This was a promise he made not too long after he was sworn in.

Free water (for the first 20 cu m) was supposed to have started this month. But Syabas has a different idea on this:

PUTRAJAYA: Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) will continue to issue utility bills to consumers without any subsidy or reduction at the end of this month.

This is because the company has yet to receive any written order or undertaking from the state or Federal government to pay for the 20 cubic metres of free water promised to consumers.

Its chief executive officer Datuk Ruslan Hassan said Syabas had only limited discussions with the Selangor Government on free water.

“Discussions with the Selangor Government have not produced any result relating to legal matters, costs and approval from the Federal Government,” he said in a statement here yesterday.

“Until Syabas receives a written order from Selangor and the Federal Government or an undertaking from Selangor or any state agency to pay us for the 20 cubic metres, we will continue to issue water bills to consumers as usual, without any reduction or subsidy.”

Full article here.

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So this promise is valid? Or void?

And it would seem that Syabas is not prepared to foot any kind of “loss” or “reduction in profit” because of this promise. They will still be paid the full amount of the 20 cu m of “free water” that they provide to the people. And if the State Government is footing the bill, it means that they are actually using tax-payer’s money, which also results in using the money off of the people.

The providing of free water would make a difference, no matter how small, to the people, especially now since the fuel prices have hiked. And with the increase of petrol prices, it is almost definite that prices of most things will be raised as well:

> Bus and lorry companies announced that they are increasing charges or will be forced to stop services;

> The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers said its members will pass on any increase in costs to consumers;

> Hawkers and other food operators will wait and see before raising prices; and

> The KLCI closed 29.56 points down, to 1223.56 points. Plantation and banking counters as well as PLUS were the most affected.

Full article here.

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This is going to be a very trying time for Malaysians, especially those from lower income groups. Even if they don’t drive, and are not affected by the fuel price increase, they will be affected a great deal with the increase of prices of food, and other daily necessities. And now with even the ceiling price for chicken being removed, the people can expect that everything will be increasing, except their bank balance.

Inflation is projected at 5% in the following month. And if the Cabinet plans to review the subsidy plan every month, and even possibly raise the price every few months (mere speculation on my behalf), inflation could go crazy.

Something definitely needs to be done to curb the increasing difficulty of the normal people down on the streets to have enough to make a living. When everything else is going up, but wages remain at the minimum level, it’s no wonder that people are unhappy with the government.

The protest that is being organised is not going to be the first, and definitely not the first against fuel price increase. There have been many like it in the past staged in front of the Petronas Twin Towers. But this time, it might be one of the biggest.

Ribuan orang akan digerakkan untuk menyertai protes membantah kenaikan besar harga minyak di Menara Berkembar Kuala Lumpur pada jam 3 petang 12 Julai.

Penganjur Gabungan Anti-Inflasi (Protes) berharap dapat menghimpun 100,000 orang untuk mendesak kerajaan supaya mengurangkan harga minyak ke paras asalnya, sebelum ini.

“Kami percaya, dengan kenaikan drastik harga minyak, kami akan mendapat sokongan rakyat…

Full article here.

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Of course, government officials are saying that the people should not hold illegal gatherings and protest groups, but what will happen on 12 July is this: People will gather. The police will also gather. And there might probably be more people than police, if past petrol price increase protests are anything to go by.

I’m not one for street protests, I think it disrupts a lot of things. But what I hope is that this protest rally is truly one that is being organised by the people for the people, with no politicians involved. When the government doesn’t offer any other legal channel that is to the convenience of the people for us to voice our discontent and protests, this might really be the only way to get our voices heard.

Same like the Walk for Media Freedom on the 1st of June.
Also same like the Vigil at Kamunting against the ISA that will be held tomorrow, 7th June.

If you truly believe in something, and you believe in it enough to want to be heard, you might want to gather at KLCC on 12 July.

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