By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 10: The Sarawak government must overhaul the State’s electricity billing and dispute-resolution system instead of allowing complaints over soaring bills following digital-meter installations to end with explanations from Sarawak Energy Berhad (Sarawak Energy).
Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak Political Education Bureau director Irene Mary Chang said the issue had moved beyond whether digital meters were accurate, stressing that it now involved consumer protection, due process and fairness.
“What is needed now is a fundamental review of how electricity consumption is measured and how disputed bills are determined.
“The review should also include if civil liability should be imposed on the innocent registered account holder or property owner when electricity theft is committed by someone else,” she said in a statement today.
She cited two cases she had personally handled, including one in Miri where a house owner faced an electricity bill of RM818,474.90 arising from consumption allegedly linked to cryptocurrency-mining activities by a tenant.
In another case, landowners of a property being developed into shophouses were held liable by Syarikat Sesco Bhd (SESCO) for more than RM411,000 in electricity theft involving one rented shophouse.
“These are not ordinary electricity bills. We are talking about property owners being exposed to liabilities running into hundreds of thousands of ringgit without their knowledge and involvement,” she said.
Chang said the cases, together with the latest complaints over substantial bill increases after digital meters were installed, should not be viewed as isolated incidents.
“They point to a much bigger problem with the present electricity billing and enforcement framework,” she said.
While acknowledging that electricity theft must be pursued, Chang said liability should be based on evidence distinguishing between the person who committed or benefited from the theft and an innocent property owner.
“A landlord cannot realistically monitor every activity carried out by a tenant inside a rented property,” she said.
She also called for consumers who receive abnormal bills following meter replacement to be given the right to have the meter and bill independently checked.
While a genuine dispute is being investigated, customers should also be allowed to pay the undisputed portion of their bills without facing disproportionate pressure or disconnection, she said.
Chang proposed four immediate reforms, beginning with an independent mechanism for disputed meters and bills, including the right for consumers to have disputed meters independently tested and abnormal bills independently reviewed.
Second, she said abnormal consumption should automatically trigger an investigation, particularly where usage suddenly increased dramatically compared with historical consumption following meter replacement.
Third, she called for meaningful protection for consumers while genuine disputes are being investigated, including allowing them to pay the undisputed portion without facing disproportionate pressure or disconnection.
Fourth, she said SESCO must clearly distinguish between electricity thieves and property owners, while strengthening transparency and safeguards for innocent landlords.
She acknowledged that Sarawak Energy already has a grievance and appeal mechanism and has advised landlords to transfer electricity accounts to tenants, but said this could not be the sole solution.
“What happens when a tenant refuses to transfer the account, or subsequently tampers with the meter without the landlord’s knowledge?” she asked.
Chang said account ownership should not automatically determine liability for electricity theft, adding that the relevant law should be reviewed and amended if necessary.
She also proposed a simple and enforceable process for transferring electricity accounts when properties are rented out, with mechanisms to address cases where tenants fail to do so.
“A digital meter is only as good as the system surrounding it. If we are introducing smarter meters while maintaining a billing and dispute-resolution system where the consumer has little ability to challenge a disputed bill, then we are not creating a smarter electricity system.
“We are simply creating a more technologically advanced system for sending bills to consumers,” she said.
She urged the Sarawak government to use the current complaints as an opportunity to comprehensively review SESCO’s billing, meter verification, electricity-theft investigation and consumer-dispute procedures.
Yesterday (Sept 9), Sarawak Minister of Utility and Telecommunications Dato Sri Julaihi Narawi directed SESCO chief executive officer Yusri Safri to investigate recent claims of sharp electricity bill increases and issue a clear public explanation.
The directive came after reports of unusually high charges raised by consumers, while Sarawak Energy said it was reviewing affected bills to identify and resolve any issues involving billing or meter readings.
Sarawak Energy had also expanded dedicated customer support counters in Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri until October to assist affected account holders, with complaints to be assessed against account history, billing records and meter readings. — DayakDaily
