Penang Chief Minister, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon has denied the statement made by the Tenaga Nasional Bhd. executive chairman, Dr. Ahmad Tajuddin Ali that the Penang Chief Minister had abandoned Penang’s claim for Tenaga Nasional to make ex gratia payment to Penang industry, business and users for the 10-day power blackout on the Penang island last year.
Responding to press reports that the Penang government was asking for a rebate for the 10-day power blackout on the Penang Island last year on the same principle and formula as the 10 per cent rebate for the August 3 nationwide power blackout, Tajuddin said in Langkawi on Friday that there would be no rebate for Penang, as in his meeting with the Penang Chief Minister the previous week, Tsu Koon had said that he was satisfied with the investments Tenaga Nasional had made in Penang to upgrade the power supply on the island as “ex gratia” for the 10-day power blackout last year.
Although Tsu Koon has denied that he had abandoned Penang’s claim for ex gratia payment or had told Tajuddin that he was satisfied with the RM1.7 billion investments made by Tenaga Nasional to upgrade the power supply on the island as “ex gratia” for the 10-day blackout, Tajuddin has not retracted his Langkawi statement or clarified that he had been misreported by the press.
What the people of Penang have are two contradictory versions - one by Tajuddin stating that Tsu Koon had abandoned Penang’s claim for ex gratia payment for the 10-day power blackout and the denial by Tsu Koon.
Unless Tajuddin had been misreported, I do not think that as a public servant, Tajuddin would have publicly told an untruth and falsely concocted the story that Tsu Koon had abandoned the Penang claim for ex gratia payment from Tenaga for the 10-day power blackout.
I can imagine that Tajuddin had wanted to extract an assurance from Tsu Koon that the Penang State Government would not pursue the claim for ex gratia payment for the 10-day power blackout in Penang, before formally proposing the 10 per cent rebate for the August 3 nationwide power blackout to the Cabinet.
To clear the air once and for all, Tsu Koon should ask Tajuddin to issue a public statement to clarify that the Penang Chief Minister had never told him that he was satisfied with Tenaga Nasional’s investments to upgrade power supply on the island as “ex gratia” for the 10-day power blackout in Penang last year.
Otherwise, the people would have to choose whom to believe: Tajuddin’s statement or Tsu Koon’s denial.
In any event, Tenaga Nasional must be told in no uncertain terms that its RM1.7 billion investment to upgrade power supply on the island is no compensation whatsoever for the RM1 billion losses caused to Penang industry, business and users by the 10-day power blackout, and that the claim that Tenaga Nasional make an ex gratia payment of at least one full month’s rebate to Penang island industry, business and users is most reasonable and should be met by Tenaga.
In view of the doubt which has been raised as to whether the Penang Chief Minister had unilaterally abandoned Penang’s claim for ex gratia payment from Tenaga Nasional, the Penang State Assembly at its next meeting should adopt a new unanimous resolution reaffirming its demand for ex gratia payment from Tenaga Nasional for the 10-day blackout, and asking for at least a full month’s rebate on the precedent of the rebate for the August 3 nationwide blackout - which is 10 per cent of a month’s electricity bill for a 17-hour blackout.
(21/10/96)