Access to water resources including safe drinking water is a fundamental human right. There is no denying that there is a need for efficient water resource management in the country. And yes, Malaysians would prefer to receive clean drinking water as opposed to receiving dirty and contaminated water at home.

But water resources should not be subject to private ownership and full cost recovery. This strategy would involve removing subsidies and cross subsidies and would burden the poor and would remove the social safety protection of the rakyat which is the responsibility of the government.

Fomca believes that water must be identified primarily as a public good and a human right and not simply as a commodity to be traded in the open market. The state has an important obligation in ensuring that the country's water resources remain in the hands of the public sector.

In a privatised environment, peoples' access to water will be a function of affordability, and no longer as a need or right to sustain life and livelihood. Specifically, the business decision to allocate scarce water resources between competing users will be predicated on affordability and profitability.