__________________________

Press Statement (2)

by Lim Kit Siang  
__________________________

(Ipoh, Sunday) : DAP MP for Ipoh Barat, M Kulasegaran will introduce a sheaf of amendments to the two water bills, the Water Services Industry Bill and the Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara (SPAN) Bill, to protect the human rights, consumer rights and national sovereignty rights of Malaysians on the provision of affordable quality drinkable water which “must be clear, colourless and odourless”.

The civil society feels very strongly that it has been “taken for a ride” by the Minister for Energy, Water and Communications, Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik, as after five months of “consultation” with 350 recommendations from some 80 “consultation sessions”, there had only been three minor changes to the two draft water bills.

The amendments to be proposed by Kulasegaran will have the objective of entrenching in the water legislation:

• The fundamental concept that water is a public good by unequivocally stipulating 

(a)   that water is a human right;

(b)   that access to water is a legally-binding responsibility of the state;

(c)   that the state shall provide for safe, affordable and adequate water supply.

• Consumer rights to affordable and fair pricing of water rates;
• No back-door provision for any privatization of water services; and
• Protection of the national sovereign rights on water services from being undermined by global water barons under the General Agreement on Trade in Service (GATS) and bilateral free trade agreements with developed countries.

I urge MPs, particularly from Barisan Nasional, to support the amendments to the two water bills  in the interests of the people and country.  The Barisan Nasional leadership should remove the whip and allow BN MPs to speak and vote according to their conscience.

The debate on the two water bills will begin on  Monday May 8, 2006 and not on Tuesay, May 2, 2006 as originally scheduled, following the introduction of  the Second Supplementary (Operating and Development)  Estimates 2005 asking for a whopping sum of RM13.76 billion which will be the agenda for a  three-day debate from May 2 to 4, 2006.

(30/04/2006)