The Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) and the Coalition Against Water Privatisation (CAWP) have urged the Selangor government not to back down on their efforts to reclaim water management in the state.

"Water, as other public or common goods, should never be in the hands of profit-driven businesses," MTUC president Syed Shahir Mohamud said today.

khalid ibrahim selangor water MTUC and CAWP members as well as members of residents association All Petaling Jaya Residents Association Coalition (APAC) submitted their memorandum on the matter to Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim in Parliament today.

"We would also like to remind the Selangor government that access to affordable water is a fundamental human right and it, as all governments, has a responsibility in realising that right for the people," said Syed Shahir.

He also reminded the Pakatan Rakyat government of Selangor of its promise to reduce water tariff rates by 10 percent annually after it swept into power early last year, adding that it should continue to fight for the right to manage water in the state.

Initially, the Selangor government had offered RM5.184 billion to Puncak Niaga Sdn Bhd, a 70 percent shareholder of Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) and Syarikat Pengeluar Air Sungai Selangor Sdn Bhd (Splash). In total, Selangor was offering RM5.7 billion to take over the complete assets of Selangor's four concessionaires Puncak Niaga, Syabas, Splash and Konsortium Abass Sdn Bhd (Abass).

Direct negotiations by Feds

However, a couple of days before the concessionaires were due to respond, the water restructuring exercise regulatory body, National Water Service Commission (SPAN) announced that the federal government would directly negotiate with the water concessionaires to wrap up the deal.

toll hike protest forum 271206 syed shahrir Although Selangor was given the green light to lead the talks to nationalise the state's water assets, the federal government’s intervention to scrap the state government from the negotiation resulted in the concessionaires rejecting Selangor's first offer.

Various non-governmental groups, seeing red over the exclusion of the state in talks, have voiced their suspicions that the federal government and the Energy, Water and Communication Ministry were favouring the concessionaires rather than the well-being of the people.

MTUC and CAWP are already engaged in a civil suit with the federal government to make the Selangor water concession agreement and the concessionaires 2007 audit report public.

Syed Shahir added MTUC and its partners would bring up the matter with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission next week because "there is something in the federal government take over that is not right".