By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 10: Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) Sarawak has called for disputed electricity bills to be frozen and refunded to affected consumers until investigations into alleged sudden bill increases are completed.
The party said consumers should not be made to bear the cost of charges that remain under dispute, especially amid rising living costs.
PAS Sarawak commissioner Haji Mohammad Arifiriazul Paijo said the party welcomed the directive for Sarawak Energy Berhad and Syarikat SESCO Berhad to investigate and explain the allegations, but said more needed to be done to ease public concerns.
“First, we propose that the disputed charges be deferred until the investigation is completed.
“For those who have already paid the disputed amount, the payment should be refunded to consumers while awaiting the outcome of the investigation through a simple and customer-friendly process,” he said in a statement today.
Arifiriazul said the money involved was important to households struggling with the rising cost of basic necessities, including food, medicine and other daily expenses.
He also said the investigation should not be left entirely to Sarawak Energy and SESCO, calling for the Sarawak Ministry of Utility and Telecommunications (MUT) to be directly involved and monitor the process.
“More importantly, an independent third party should be included to ensure the investigation was transparent, fair and trusted by consumers,” he added.
Arifiriazul also called for the full findings of the investigation to be made public, including the number of complaints received, the number of cases involving billing errors, the actual cause of the problem and corrective measures taken.
He said consumers had the right to know whether billing errors had occurred and what action would be taken to prevent them from recurring.
“If it is not yet certain, do not force the people to pay first. Investigate transparently, involve an independent party and disclose the findings to the public.
“Only then can public confidence be restored,” he said.
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
