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Press
Statement
by Hon. Dr. Yee Moh Chai, M.P. for Tanjung Aru (P.156)
in Kota Kinabalu
on 28 August 1998
Re: Privatisation of garbage collection by the MPKK
I have today sent a letter to the President of the Majlis Perbandaran
Kota Kinabalu (MPKK) over the privatization of garbage collection
at the State Capital of Sabah. The content of the said letter was
as follows:
"Further
to our discussion yesterday at the MPKK regarding the privatization
deal of the rubbish collection at the State Capital, I would like
to inform Ybhg Datuk that I have since been inundated with complaints
from countless ratepayers against the said deal.
In
essence, there is absolutely no justifiable basis at all for the
MPKK having to pay an additional sum of RM507,960.00 per year, as
" 12% Management Fee", to Pacific Garbage Management Services
Sdn Bhd when the same company is to be paid a sum of RM181,572.00
per year already under the heading of "Management Staff".
This would mean the MPKK having to pay the Pacific Garbage Management
Services Sdn Bhd twice for essentially the same matter, i.e. firstly
under the heading of "Management Staff" and secondly under
the heading of "12% Management Fee", totaling RM689,532.00
per year of the ratepayers’ money.
I
must say that at a time when everyone is doing his or her best to
save cost, it is outrageous that the MPKK should embark on an exercise
that could only mean financially burdening the ratepayers further.
Indeed,
if the MPKK is really loaded with surplus cash, which I doubt so,
then may I suggest that it should first settle all those outstanding
payments which MPKK still owes to the many contractors who have
done the job for MPKK but not been paid in full yet.
Talking
of priority, I believe the MPKK should also consider applying this
RM507,960.00 that it has earmarked to be paid to Pacific Garbage
Management Services Sdn Bhd, to be used for the immediate clearing
of all our drainage system. There is no excuse whatsoever for the
MPKK having the financial ability to pay an extra half a million
ringgit of the ratepayers’ money to a private company and yet failing
to apply the same resources to clear our drainage system. I hope
the MPKK does appreciate that a lot of our residential properties
in Kota Kinabalu are always at risk of being flooded whenever there
is any moderate amount of rain. This is likely to get worse with
the coming of the La Nina phenomenon, needless to say.
I
sincerely hope that the authority would treat every cent of the
ratepayers’ contribution with respect especially at this time of
economic hardship. In fact, if the MPKK does not know better what
to do with this RM507,960.00 per year of the ratepayers’ money apart
from passing it on to the Pacific Garbage Management Services Sdn
Bhd under the so called privatization deal, my I suggest strongly
that it should make a rebate to all the ratepayers equivalent to
this said sum of money. I am sure this decision would be highly
appreciated and welcomed by most of the ratepayers.
Once
again, I am appealing to the MPKK to review the whole privatization
deal of our rubbish collection as we know it. Indeed, the MPKK owes
it to all the ratepayers to disclose all the terms and condition
of the said deal before any of our rightful interest have been compromised
without our knowledge. I believe this should not be a problem since
this Government talks so much about open tender and transparency."
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