Syabas welcomes 'free water' offer by Selangor BN

Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) welcomes any effort to provide a better living to the people of Selangor, including giving out free water.

Its Executive Chairman of Corporate Affairs, Abdul Halem Mat Som said the company will gladly work together with any ruling government of the state to ensure it implementation.

“We will cooperate with them just like we did previously. No problem, because the system is already there,” he said when contacted by Astro Awani.

Halem said water is very essential in peoples’ everyday lives.

He was commenting on the offer made by Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) to give up to 20 cubic metres of free water to every household in Selangor should they succeed in claiming back the state in the next general election.

Meanwhile, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad from Pas said the offer by BN proved that they finally admit that Pakatan Rakyat was doing the right thing when they were giving out free water since they took over the state in 2008.

“So that means what they (BN) have been criticising all these while are just political gimmicks... just for the sake of opposing even if they knew it was something good,” he told Astro Awani.

Nevertheless, Khalid welcomed the move as he believes water supply is something that should be provided by the government.

However, he said BN might not give away the water for free, claiming that the party would often take something back whenever they give something.

“For example when they handed out the BR1M, they raised the price of sugar. When they handed out the BR1M 2.0, they raised the price of RON 97. So this time, they could be implementing the goods and services tax (GST),” he said.

For Kota Belud MP, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan from BN, the question on whether the offer is copying Pakatan’s idea should not be an issue.

He said Pakatan’s themselves have been copying BN’s idea, for example, he said BN came out with the idea of low cost housing since the 1960s, and also the idea for cash handouts.

Abdul Rahman also welcomed the offer made by BN Selangor as he said it is good for the people.

Yesterday, Selangor Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced a specialised manifesto for Selangor which includes 20 cubic metres of free water and also waive the charge of changing from a bulk water meter to an individual meter.