KOTA KINABALU - Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) reminded the Sabah Government that it had a duty to issue a White Paper on the water scandal, dubbed Sabah Watergate, in the state.
“The state government is the servant of the people,” said Warisan secretary-general Loretto S Padua Jnr in a statement. “The people are not the servants of the government.”
The White Paper, he added, “would be for the benefit of all”.
Chief Minister Musa Aman must immediately issue the White Paper, he said. “Sabahans have the right to know the details on the water scandal.”
It was not enough, he said, for the chief minister to give verbal assurances.
Padua said the Sabah finance ministry, also headed by Musa, continued to remain silent on several important matters raised by Warisan president Shafie Apdal, including the water scandal.
The finance ministry merely attributed the water scandal to “the lack of coordination between a federal ministry and the state government”.
“The ministry did not counter Shafie’s explanation on privatisation of water treatment plants in Sabah,” said Padua.
Shafie had clearly explained, he said, that his former ministry was limited to setting up treatment plants and/or laying pipes. “Once this work was completed, the supply of water would be done by the state government.”
Padua said the Sabah Government had a duty to explain the privatisation of “58 or 59” water treatment plants to six individuals and/or companies in the White Paper.
“These six individuals/companies are responsible for supplying water to the people,” he said. “The scandal happened under the watch of senior officers appointed by the Musa Aman Administration.”
Watergate was the building which housed the headquarters of the Democratic National Party in the US many decades ago.
It was the scene of a break-in blamed on the rival Republican Party. That led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. - FMT
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