SHAH ALAM, 1 Mar: The plan to give water shares to the people, as announced in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) manifesto in May 2013 will be continues after the restructuring of the water industry is fully completed.
The Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, said that the intention will be met by the state government, but no time frame has been set for its implementation.
“We can announce it now because the State Government promised it in May last year; after the restructuring of the water industry is completed, you will introduce the water shares to the people.
“But time period has been set because the state government needs to make sure that the water services restructuring is completed first,” he told reporters after inaugurating the martial arts, weapons and heritage festival here at Dataran Kemerdekaan.
Meanwhile, Abdul Khalid also announced the agreement to restructure the water industry in Selangor is bound and cannot be cancelled because both the central government and the state government are committed in implementing it.
He said that the agreement clearly states the cooperation between the federal government and the state of Selangor must carry out what was promised in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to approve the Langat 2 water treatment plant.
At the same time, he said that the federal government has given the Selangor Government the power to take over the management of treating and supplying water to over seven million people in the Klang Valley and Putrajaya.
“The State Government represents the people of Selangor and this decision is made because it has ‘value for money’.
“We want to ensure that the water treatment plant is built well because we need it, but it is has to be done with the understanding that we are getting the best price, technology and method,” he added.
