SELANGOR’S plans to end its blanket free water supply policy and limit it to just the B40 group have been described as the ultimate betrayal of the people by the state opposition.

Selangor opposition leader Rizam Ismail said if Pakatan Harapan had not won Putrajaya, the state would continue with the policy, which was its biggest manifesto draw when the then Pakatan Rakyat captured Selangor in 2008. 

He said even the B40 group – the bottom 40% of households with monthly income of RM3,900 and below – were going to find it a hassle to get free water as they have to register with the state under the e-kasih system, the integrated database on the poor and vulnerable groups and individuals in the country.

Rizam said the perk of free water should be for everyone and not confined to a certain category of people.

“For me, this is the ultimate betrayal of the people of Selangor and the state government had conned the people.

“I believe if they (Pakatan Harapan) had not won Putrajaya, it is highly unlikely there would be a change in the water policy.

“The promise of free water if they win the elections had been in their manifesto for a long time and now they are burying it. It’s all sweet promises,” Rizam, the Sg Ayer Tawar assemblyman, told The Malaysian Insight.

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari’s said on Friday the free water programme would only be for the B40 group from January 1.

Amirudin said the shift was to return to the original objective of the policy – to alleviate the hardship of those in the lower-income group.

Also under the new policy, households registered under e-kasih would have the volume of their free water increased from 20 cubic meters per month to 25 cubic meters.

Not satisfied with slamming the government on the policy change, Rizam also asked what guarantee the Selangor government could give to ensure that all under the B40 enjoy the water benefit.

“Will all of them get free water because not all in this B40 category are registered with e-kasih. I will raise this issue at the assembly and we want the state government to have a rethink on this policy.”  

Sg Panjang assemblyman Imran Tamrin called for an “effective mechanism” to ensure that no one from the B40 group is left out of the free water programme.

Imran accused Selangor of being “hasty” implementing this new policy without first making any kind of study.

“The Selangor government’s new policy to target specific group could be a desire to save costs, but they have not consider the realities and peculiarities on the ground.

“For example, in my constituency, there are houses under the name of owners who have passed on and their surviving family members now live in the house. 

“How could the deceased register with e-kasih and can they update their personal information?”

The shortcoming in the present system, he said, will cause some to miss out on the perks.

Imran echoed Rizam’s claim that the PH election victory in Selangor in the May 9 general election all boiled down to a rash of sweet promises, including free water

“Free water in their manifesto had contributed to the PH victory because the people want the benefit.

“Betraying voters’ trust is already becoming synonymous with PH.”

Selangor estimates that it would cost RM80 million annually and save RM105.2 million with the new policy. – November 26, 2018.