Monday, March 15, 2010

SESB Boss Should Go

Published on: Sunday, March 14, 2010

Kota Kinabalu: State Resource Development and Information Technology Minister, Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai, Saturday supported the call for Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) Managing Director, Baharin Din, to step down for failing to address power woes in the State.

He said the Barisan Nasional (BN) Government had already been governing for more than 10 years but still the SESB cannot find the ways to solve the problem.

He said it was totally unacceptable for SESB to use second hand mobile generator sets to generate power in the State, especially in the East Coast.

Dr Yee said the action was tantamount to SESB not being sincere in solving the problem.

He added that SESB should have made all the planning well ahead and not wait for certain problems to crop up before swinging into action.

"In fact, the present action of using second hand generator sets was still causing power shortage and hindering development, especially the Sabah Development Corridor.

"SESB should not simply sweep the matter under the carpet and if you can't do it then you should step down," he said.

Meanwhile, former Tawau MP Datuk Geoffrey Yee demanded that SESB disclose the true status of the used mobile generator sets to reduce the power interruptions in the East Coast of Sabah.

"We are all aware that used or old cars would not function well which is the same analogy that can be used for using second-hand or used mobile generators set, which are not economical.

"This is because we have to spend more on servicing or maintenance cost to ensure the sets are functioning," he told a press conference.

Geoffrey, who fully supports Kalabakan MP Datuk Ghapur Salleh's call for Baharin to resign, also asked the uitility agency to organise a dialogue session with elected people reps in Sabah to explain the real situation.

He said it is embarrassing to note that maybe the SESB officers did not understand a statement by the Prime Minister who promised to tackle the problematic supply of electricity here by installing new mobile generators sets in Tawau and Sandakan.

The Prime Minister made the statement during his visit here during the fasting month, last year.

"What the people want is 100 per cent service without power interruptions as had been said by Datuk Seri Najib and not the enhancement of 81.6 per cent for Sandakan and 87.34 per cent in Tawau as claimed by SESB after the installation of 'second hand' mobile gensets.

"It would not be fair for Sabahans who are paying for the service as others in the country but receiving different treatment when given the second hand gensets.

"This is really very disappointing as we are receiving second class service from third class officers," he said, adding the matter has to be explained to public as it has been prevailing for years.

Geoffrey also questioned Baharin's logic that buying or booking new generator sets would need a long time due to certain procedures to be followed.

He stressed that if those certain procedures are the excuse, then the prevailing matter would not be resolved.

"For sure, the people do not want second class equipment and third class officers because those officers would not know how to solve a problem."

Daily Express

2 comments:

eddy said...

Will be interesting what the SESB has to say about these valid complaints. Customers comes first, he should give a statement to reply to the complaints and their plan of action in the short and longer term to address the serious power outages. If SESB head cannot give a good explanation or plan then he should sack himself, so somebody more knowledgeable and competent can take over, this will probably do our brother Sabahan a lot of favour.

gram.kong said...

eddy,
Absolutely true. When a man can't deliver he should have sense of shame, either resign or be sacked.

SESB has make Sabahans life miserable by the frequent power failures.Loss of business due to power disruption run to million of ringgits and getting worse.

Who would suffer because of this? THE BN GOVERNMENT.

Unless Najib gives personal attention to this problem he will suffer at the next polls.