KOTA KINABALU, Feb 1 — Warisan Kepayan assemblyman Chin Tek Ming, today criticised Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd’s (SESB) decision to raise electricity tariffs with effect from today, saying the move would further burden the people amid the rising cost of living.
He said electricity is a basic household and operational cost, and any increase would inevitably trigger a ripple effect, pushing up the prices of goods and services.
“The groups most affected will be ordinary households, low-income earners and small and medium-sized businesses,” he said in a statement.
Chin was commenting on SESB’s decision to raise electricity tariffs from 34.52 sen per kilowatt-hour to 39.70 sen per kilowatt-hour starting today.
SESB announced yesterday that the tariff hike was aimed at ensuring a stable, high-quality and sustainable electricity supply for the state, while safeguarding consumers’ interests.
However, Chin said that while SESB cited noble-sounding reasons for the increase, the public had the right to know whether the company had first reviewed its internal operational efficiency, reduced unnecessary expenditure and explored solutions to power supply issues without passing the cost on to consumers.
“At a time when people are grappling with inflation and slow income growth, increasing electricity tariffs now will only add to their hardship,” he said.
He also expressed regret over the lack of adequate public consultation on a decision with such wide-ranging implications, and said SESB should clearly explain the necessity of the increase, the method used to calculate the new rates, and its concrete plans to improve the power supply system in the future.
Chin called on the state government and SESB to re-examine the decision, or at least temporarily defer its implementation, and to introduce more effective mitigation and assistance mechanisms to ease the impact on low-income households and vulnerable groups.
He stressed that electricity is an essential public service, and that both the government and utility providers have a responsibility to ensure a stable supply while taking into account the people’s ability to cope, so as not to further undermine livelihoods under mounting economic pressure.
