Dato’ Ngeh Koo Ham - Reply to Datuk Ramly Zahari's claim that 60 halls have utility services cut off due to unpaid bills

PRESS STATEMENT

Call on Datuk Ramly Zahar,i BN Perak Government Exco member to tell the truth with regard to his claim that 60 multi purpose and community halls had their water and electricity supply cut and not blamed them on the Pakatan Rakyat Government. During the Pakatan Rakyat’s reign there was no such problem.  Does he has an agenda against Dato’ Seri Zambry Bin Abdul Kadir?

I refer to statement by Datuk Ramly Zahari that 60 multi purpose and community halls in Perak do not have electricity or water supply due to their failure to pay the utility bills in the past 10 months and he attributed in to the fault of the Pakatan Rakyat Government.

I would like to put on record that during the tenure of the Perak Pakatan Rakyat Government from 17/3/2008 till 5/2/2009 there was never a complaint received that water or electricity supply to a multi purpose or community hall will be cut due to the failure to pay the utility bills. This was so during my post Exco meetings with all the relevant departments chaired by me where Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and Lembaga Air Perak (LAP) were represented and neither did BN as the opposition then raised such an issue.

If the electricity bills were unpaid during the last 10 months, then they were unpaid during BN’s reign as BN has grabbed power for more than 13 months on 6/2/2009.

I know Datuk Ramly Zahari is from an UMNO Perak camp different from that of Dato’ Seri Zambry Bin Abdul Kadir. Is he trying to embarrass Dato’ Seri Zambry, the court appointed Menteri Besar of Perak?

I challenge Datuk Ramly Zahari to give the details with regard to the 60 multi purpose and community halls where electricity and water were cut.

If Datuk Ramly Zahari was referring to 10 months of unpaid bills during the PR reign, what happened to the last 13 months when BN took over? He needs to clarify.

There is no question of unpaid water or electricity bills during the PR Government rule, as LAP is owned by the Perak Government and the State has about RM800 million in reserve. The Pakatan Rakyat brought in additional RM100.4 million into the State coffer in 2008.

I challenged Datuk Ramly to tell the truth and if he has a political agenda against Dato’ Seri Zambry, let it be also make known to the public.

Dated this 13th day of March 2010.


DATO’ NGEH KOO HAM
- DAP PERAK CHAIRMAN
- PAKATAN RAKYAT PERAK GOVERNMENT SENIOR EXCO MEMBER