Sabah discriminated by BN government

KOTA KINABALU, 26 May 2009: The Barisan Nasional (BN) Government is discriminating Sabah when it comes to providing the needed development, in particular, energy supplies, said Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).

SAPP Wanita Chief Melanie Chia said it is evidence when the Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), a Government Linked Company (GLC), which has been monopolising energy supply in the country, has confirmed that power from Bakun dam in Sarawak is very unlikely to be channeled to Sabah .

"Is this another confirmation of the disparity managed by the Barisan Nasional Government," Melanie, who is also Luyang Assemblywoman asked in a statement, here, today.

She said Sabah also deserved to be supplied with energy from either Bakun dam or another dam in Sarawak, Murun dam, and not only peninsula due to our power problems, which persistently hit all over the State since the last 30 years.

"Why energy generated from Bakun goes all the way to Peninsula and not Sabah?" she asked adding Sabah needed energy more than Peninsula because West Malaysia probably has sufficient supply while Sabah are in dire needs.

She said there is no reason not to channel energy to Sabah from Bakun or Murun when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had recently said that part of the energy from Bakun goes to Indonesia .

In addition, a minister has also indicated that energy from Murun will be exported to Brunei .

Melanie said the people here will certainly be dejected if energy from Sarawak could not be channeled to Sabah .

According to her, energy problems like sudden power failures, disruptions and rations are considered norm all over the State with the East Coast the hardest hit areas and the problems have never been improved even before Bakun dam project was considered.

"Power cut is part of life in Sabah for years," she added.

She further said that recently Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui had said that there is a possibility that Sabah will receive energy from Bakun or Murun.

She added it seems that the Minister and TNB differs on decisions.

"I wonder who has the higher power between them, is it the Federal Minister or the TNB Chairman," she asked.

She also queried reasons behind Moggie's statement that coal-fired power plant is the only option to address energy problems in the east Coast.

"Has Moggie got a hidden agenda? Why is he so insistent on the coal-fired power plant as the only option for the East Coast," Melanie further asked.

Moggie was reported to have said that until now TNB had yet to identify anything that can substitute the coal-fired power plant for Sabah .

"We are not saying we are giving away the plan to have a coal-fired power plant. We are open for anything, if there is practical option or alternative available out there. Based on our observation, now there is no other alternative practical option," Moggie said.

Melanie noted that TNB targets to commission the first nuclear power plant in Malaysia by 2025 if the government decides to include nuclear as an acceptable energy option.

Head of nuclear energy unit TNB, Dr Mohd Zamzam Jaafar was reported to have said TNB cannot ignore nuclear energy amid the uncertain future supply and volatile fossil fuel prices as well as gas resources.

Coal price, Dr Mohd Zamzam said, has also been very volatile.

According to Melanie, if Moggie had intended the coal-fired power plant as a long term solution to the energy problem in Sabah , it does not seem to syncronise with the overall energy planning in view of the scarcity of raw material and volatility of coal price in the medium and long term.

"We Malaysians in Sabah are still puzzled by Moggie's insistent on a coal-fired power plant for Sabah ," she added.

SAPP is against dirty coal ...more Coal's Assault on Human Health Coal pollutants affect all major body organ systems and contribute to four of the five leading causes of mortality in the U.S.: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases. This conclusion emerges from our reassessment of the widely recognized health threats from coal. Each step of the coal lifecycle-mining, transportation, washing, combustion, and disposing of post combustion wastes-impacts human health. Coal combustion in particular contributes to diseases affecting large portions of the U.S. population, including asthma, lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke, compounding the major public health challenges of our time. It interferes with lung development, increases the risk of heart attacks, and compromises intellectual capacity. Oxidative stress and inflammation are indicated as possible mechanisms in the exacerbation and development of many of the diseases under review. 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