by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Thursday, 17.6.1993:
Call on Barisan Nasional Penang State Government and Assemblymen to vote unanimously for the DAP motion in the Penang State Assembly next week deploring the frequent Tenaga Nasional power disruptions in the state
Penang DAP calls on the Barisan Nasional Penang State Government and State Assemblymen to vote unanimously for the DAP motion in the Penang State Assembly next week deploring the frequent Tenaga Nasional power disruptions in the state.
The sudden and unannounced three-hour disruption yesterday morning plugging 65-storey Komtar into a tower of darkness and affecting many parts of the Penang island, caused business disruptions and massive traffic jams, is seriously straining the public tolerance level of the people of Penang at the service, competence and performance of Tenaga Nasional Bhd.
It is clearly unacceptable that while Tenaga Nasional post ever higher profits, it is imposing increasingly greater hardships and inconveniences on the industries, businesses and consumers by frequent power disruptions – both announced and unannounced.
Last week, I had called on the Penang Chief Minister, Dr, Koh Tsu Koon, to hold an urgent meeting with Tenaga Nasional officials to review both the frequency and length of power load-shedding in the state so as to minimise the losses caused to the industries, businesses and the consumers in Penang.
For instance, I suggested that Tenaga Nasional should stop its seven-hour power load-sheddings from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., which effectively closes down businesses and industries for the whole day, and replace it with a scheme which does not exceed three hours of power disruption for each area each day.
Has the Penang Chief Minister pursed this suggestion with the Tenaga Nasional Bhd., or has the DAP proposal fallen on deaf ears in the Penang State Government? Tenaga Nasional Bhd. should also explain why there is such frequency of power load-shedding affecting the Penang state as compared to other states.
DAP State Assemblymen for Dato Kramat, Sdr. K. Balasundaram, is moving a motion on the losses and hardships caused to the people and state of Penang by the frequent Tenaga Nasional power disruptions, and proposing a joint State Government-Tenaga Nasional Standing Committee to ensure minimum losses and inconvenience to the people and state of Penang.
I hope that the Barisan Nasional Penang State Government and Assemblymen would be able to put aside their party differences with the DAP, and in the common interest of the people and state of Penang, give unanimous support to this motion on the energy crisis in Penang State.
In fact, I would invite the Barisan Nasional Penang State Government through either the Penang Chief Minister or one of the State Exco members to second Sdr. Balasundaram’s motion. Alternatively, one of the Barisan Nasional State Assemblymen could second this motion. Let the Penang State Assembly, both government and opposition, prove that we can speak with one voice on behalf of the people of Penang on the energy crisis in Penang State.