Dr Lim Keng Yaik, the affable senior minister and component party leader, has proven his detractors right again by his double-speak at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur late Thursday evening.

The Energy, Water and Communications minister denied ever issuing a show-cause letter to Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) in a blatant disregard of a news report to the contrary.

"No, I didn't issue any show-cause (letter). I only said that I might. But there was no reason to because they had stopped importing the pipes."

On June 7, Business Times carried a page-lead report entitled 'Syabas gets show-cause letter' with a photograph of Lim holding up a picture of an imported Indonesian pipe used in Petaling Jaya.

When referred to the article, he said: "Don't look for hantu (ghost) when there's no hantu lah."

Syabas, the sole water services management company in Selangor and the biggest player in water privatisation, allegedly violated several provisions in the concession agreement.

According to the news report, the company had breached a Finance Ministry circular in 2000 requiring all government-funded contracts to be by open tender and approved by the government, and to include local labour and material.

Besides chiding Syabas for risking its pipe-replacement contract, Lim was quoted as questioning the state water monopoly's move in bypassing a special committee comprising ministry officials by appointing a local company to procure the pipes from Indonesia.

Syabas was given a federal grant of RM250 million for the pipe replacement work.

Opposition MPs excluded?

Lim had earlier chaired a three-hour dialogue and ministry briefing session on the draft National Water Services Commission (SPAN) Act and the Water Services Industry (WSI) Act for all members of Parliament.

The Bills are slated for tabling in Parliament next month.

Upon seeing news of the briefing today, Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang demanded an explanation from the minister for leaving out opposition MPs.

"I phoned up Parliament to check and was told that the briefing was meant for Barisan Nasional MPs and was held at a hotel outside Parliament. There was not a single opposition MP at (yesterday's) briefing," he said in a statement.

"(Lim) should explain why he had broken his undertaking given in Parliament last year to give a briefing on the two water bills to all MPs whether of the ruling coalition or opposition."

Kit Siang asked if Lim will hold a special briefing for opposition MPs.

When contacted, a minister's aide confirmed that the briefing was for all MPs and senators and that a seat had been reserved for Kit Siang "but he didn't turn up".

Contacted today for comments, Coalition Against Water Privatisation (CAWP) co-ordinator Charles Santiago (right) said this was not the first time Lim had indulged in double-speak.

"It has happened a few times before. Once, he agreed with our request to move for a parliamentary select committee provided we supported the amendment to the Federal Constitution moving water into the concurrent list.

"Then he made statements on, first, privatisation followed by corporatisation then moved back to privatisation. Now it is his claims of never having issued a show-cause letter to Syabas."

Consistent flip-flops

The shifting of stances, he said, showed that Lim was unable to discharge his responsibility in an independent manner.

"How can he one day say that such a letter was issued only to deny later? It reflects his failure to discipline Syabas.

"If, as a senior cabinet minister and leader of a component party in the ruling coalition he cannot keep a concessionaire in line, then who can?"

This, said Santiago, justified public concerns over the effectiveness of the new regulatory mechanism under the proposed water laws.

The CAWP, comprising about 25 civil society, non-governmental, trade union and consumer groups, has remained firmly opposed to privatisation of water management and related services in any form.

Lauding Lim's personal commitment to the CAWP demand against privatisation, he suggested that the minister now "put into law what he had committed" yesterday.

"As it stands, there is nothing in the draft law to stop the minister or SPAN from issuing licenses to the private sector operators nor are there any clause that ensures full transparency."

Furthermore, he said, the WSI Bill must clearly stipulate water as a human right and make it the state's responsibility to protect and promote the right.

"Essentially, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that citizens have excess to safe, adequate and affordable water to its citizens."

On Monday, the coalition plans to submit proposed amendments to ensure that control, management and distribution of water remained within state-owned corporations and that the provision of water remained as the state's obligation.