Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak today took a swipe at the proposed increase in water tariff rates this year, saying it was just the latest in a series of hikes introduced under the Pakatan Harapan administration.

"That's it. The water tariff will be increased in stages nationwide this year. The minister said that the hike will not burden the people.

"The electricity tariff for residential and business had already gone up last July... and will increase further for businesses and industries in March," he said in a Facebook posting.

"The Harapan government had also warned that the electricity tariffs will increase again for residences and businesses in July 2019.

"The price for gas for the businesses and industries also increased in July last year after the 14th general election," he added.

Najib was responding to Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Xavier Jayakumar's announcement that the water tariff may be increased in stages this year.

Assuring that the hikes would not burden consumers, Xavier said the upward revision was necessary to ensure that consumers continue to receive quality water supply services.

'Everything up'

In his Facebook post, Najib pointed out that the tariff hikes ran contrary to Harapan's election promises.

"On the ceramah stage, they said, water is the people's right. It should be free. But after they won, everything has gone up.

"This was slyly followed by the SST, which has so many weaknesses to allow business owners to evade the tax and increase the price of goods," he said.

Najib also said that the proposed increase of the water tariff in Penang will be the fourth hike since Harapan took over the state administration over a decade ago.

"It's okay. Only increase by 20 percent. The Harapan minister (Xavier) already announced that the hike will not burden the people."

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow announced earlier today that the increase of the state's water rates was "inevitable," but that no decision had been made as to the quantum.

"It could be more than 20 percent across select bands or all bands. We have been discussing this (with the federal government) for years," he said.

Chow also noted that Penang's water tariff was reviewed once in the past 10 years, and that the state still has the lowest rates in the country.

'Water a state matter'

Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin, meanwhile, tweeted that it is the state governments that should propose water tariffs to the National Water Service Commission (Span), and not the other way around.

Khairy was responding to Xavier who said that the Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry had forwarded Span's business plan to state governments to get the agreement of all parties before the increase is implemented.

"It’s for state governments to propose to Span, not the other way around.

"The minister should not pre-empt state governments, as water is a state matter. Span should not be sending states a business plan to consider," he said.

Penang water rates definitely going up, says chief minister