Penang Gerakan has urged the Pakatan Rakyat state government to come clean and explain why the water charges in the state have been increased by 27 per cent from today.

The party’s state vice-chairman, Wong Mun Hoe said the Penang state government owes the Penangites an explanation for the increase.

“There is no excuse for the Pakatan Rakyat government as the Penang Water Authority to increase the water charges.”

“As competency, accountability and transparency (CAT) state government, they should come clean and explain to the people why the charges have been increased,” he told reporters here today.

He said the move would burden Penangites and have long-term implications to households with more than five family members.

“We have conducted our research and a family with more than five members will incur an average increase ranging from RM8 per month to about RM100 a year,” he said.

Moreover, he said the increase would also affect small businesses, traders and even investors who required water for doing business.

“Barber shops, hair salons, laundry shops, car wash outlets as well as hawkers will now have to incur more expenditure due the water increase,” he said.

However, Wong also said that the increase will also have an impact on the investment as future investor will now think twice before they invest here.

“At time when competition for investment is most stiff and each and every factor is important to draw in investors, the increase in water charges will have an impact on the industry.”

“For those who are already here, they may consider pulling out their investments while for those thinking of investing in Penang, they will now have to reconsider going elsewhere,” he said.

Meanwhile, Wong also alleged that after the DAP took over the state government in March 2008, the profit of Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang (PBAPP) dropped to RM31.2 million in 2008 and RM14.8 million in 2009.

“Is this decline due to the poor management of Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang (PBAPP) or are there other factors which we do not know about?” he asked.

He said that when Penang was still under the Barisan Nasional (BN) government in 2007, the profit of PBAPP was RM43.1 million.

by Editorial Desk
gerakan4u.com