SHAH ALAM, 6 Feb: The statement by the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili, that ‘no electricity tariff increase this year’ does not have great significance to the people.
Instead, Ongkili’s statement yesterday only means that there will be no reduction in the electricity tariff this year even though the prices of petrol and diesel are falling.
“Ongkili: ‘No electricity tariff increase this year’ reads as ‘also no reduction’,” tweeted the Lembah Pantai Member of Parliament, Nurul Izzah Anwar, yesterday.
Apart from that, Ongkili’s statement cannot be construed as a guarantee based on the attitude of the administration of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who likes to ‘flip flop’ in his decisions.
Prior to this, the government was urged by various parties to reduce the electricity tariff following the drop in world oil prices.
When crude oil prices went up, the government decided to raise the electricity tariff by 15 percent.
NS
