By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, August 21: Sarawak’s electricity and water tariffs for households throughout the State remain unchanged, says Deputy Minister for Utility Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi.
He was responding to allegations from members of the public that the tariffs have gone up, which led to increased charges on their electricity bills.
“There were no changes. The utility tariff rates are still the same as with the past five to six years,” he told reporters after the closing ceremony of Jelajah Agenda Nasional Malaysia Sihat or Healthy Malaysia National Agenda Tour (ANMS) Kuching 2022 held at Mydin Bandar Baru Samariang here today.
Dr Abdul Rahman, who is also the Minister in charge of Islamic Affairs and Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) and Pantai Damai assemblyman, further said that the status of utility subsidies by the State government remained unchanged throughout this year.
“What will happen for 2023? We will have to wait for that. I have yet to receive any updates on that (subsidies),” he added.
On Aug 14, Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, during his visit to Sibu, informed that the Sarawak government would introduce a new Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang (BKSS) package – BKSS 9.0 – which would include, among other things, discounts for monthly electricity and water bills.
Under the previous BKSS 8.0, monthly electricity bill discounts for domestic, commercial, and industrial consumers were set at between five to 25 per cent of the bill for six months until June 30, 2022.
Additionally, commercial and industrial consumers also enjoyed a discount of 10 to 25 per cent on their monthly water bills.
At the same time, Dr Abdul Rahman urged members of the public to check with Sarawak Energy on any inquiries with their utility bills.
The two-day ANMS event held on Aug 20 and 21 was organised to cultivate a healthy lifestyle and promote environmental sustainability to support the health and wellbeing of the Malaysian Family.
Amongst those present were Kuching Resident Datu Sherrina Hussaini and Kuching District Health Officer Dr Eunice Melissa Joseph. — DayakDaily
