Hike in electricity rates irk Sarawakians
By Joseph Tawie, Free Malaysia Today
Are consumers paying for the Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation’s 21 exhorbitantly paid expatriate staff, asks DAP.
KUCHING: Consumers here are decrying the ‘excessive increases’ in their electricity bills and the RM650 in meter and administrative charges they have to pay to the Sarawak Electricty Supply Corporation (Sesco).
Armed with complaints from 20 consumers, Sarawak DAP is demanding that Sesco, which is wholly owned by the Sarawak state governemnt, explain the arbitrary increases.
DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen said consumers complained that their bills had shot up especially after Sesco officers went around changing the electricity meters.
According to Chong, since 2009 Sesco officers have been changing meters and slapping consumers with a letter stating that their old meters were running at a slower speed.
“Sesco will recalculate the difference and backdate the charges for up to 36 months. Recently I received a complaint of this nature from a houseowner in the Stutong resettlement scheme.
“The metre was changed sometime in 2009, and after about three months, they came with a letter saying that the owner’s metre was slower by 98.82%.
“Together with this allegation came a letter of demand telling them to pay RM17,000,” said Chong who is the MP for Bandar Kuching.
According to him, the houseowner complained to Sesco officers who told him that they would have to ‘KIV’ his case.
Excessive charges
However every month since, Sesco has continued to include the outstanding RM17,000 in his monthly bill.
“This is a most ridiculous amount. Firstly before they changed the metre, the monthly electricity consumption was between RM60 and RM70.
“After they changed the meter the houseowner’s monthly bill is also about RM60 and RM70.
“It is about the same amount and yet with such clear evidence there is no need for Sesco to issue the letter to say that your previous metre is slower by 98.82 percent.
“I do not know how they arrived at such estimate.
“It is all an excuse to slap excessive charges on the consumers,” said Chong, adding that he received more than 20 complaints from consumers who had been issued similar demand letters by Sesco for amounts ranging from RM3,000 to RM10,000.
He also said consumers had complained about the RM150 charged for the new metre and RM500 for administrative fee.
“My question to Sesco is why are they charging such excessive and unreasonable sums?
“I think it is not fair for Sarawakians to pay so much for electricity charges as Sesco is just wasting it by paying and spending extravagantly on the appointments of expats, ” he said.
