SHAH ALAM, 17 Mar: Negotiations regarding the water restructuring agreement between the Selangor government and Putrajaya, which was halted, will resume this week.
The Chief Minister, Mohamed Azmin Ali, said that the state government is willing to re-negotiate if the central government agrees to the terms of reference in the main agreement.
Mohamed Azmin said this when mat at the Selangor Government Departments’ Monthly Assembly today.
He said that they have received a letter from Putrajaya to resume the negotiations this week.
However, Mohamed Azmin said that the meeting for the talks this week may not be held as he will be meeting with the Public Works Minister on Thursday.
Mohamed Azmin also questioned the actions of the central government of wanting the land that the assets pass through.
“The question now does not just come from assets, but they (federal government) wants the land which the assets go through. How can I give them the land?
“Now they claim that they never asked for the land when it was debated in Parliament. If it is true that they did not ask for the land, why is it stated clearly in the latest letter that ‘the central government is ready to return to the terms of the original agreement’,” he said.
However, he did not rule out that the land will be given on a lease, but it would depend on the conditions attached.
“We can consider a lease after I meet with the Prime Minister. We can discuss it but it depends on the conditions,” he said.
The restructuring of the Selangor water industry expired on its own because the central government did not respect the principles and spirit of the agreement, including acknowledging the sovereignty of Selangor’s land and water assets.
At least 26,000 kilometres of land where the water pipe is being placed is the asset in the agreement which the central government wants to take over.
Instead, the Selangor government only agreed to hand over the water assets that have been upgraded by the concessionaires.
NS
