Minister says unaware of IWK takeover, 1MDB confirms plan

By Lisa J. Ariffin

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 Energy, Green Technology as well as Water Minister Datuk Sri Peter Chin pronounced currently he has no believe of the due takeover of Indah Water Konsortium (IWK), even after strategic investment agency 1MDB confirmed the plan.

In the matter to Chinese every day Nanyang Siang Pau published today, 1MDB pronounced the offer was during an evaluation stage.

1MDB did not reveal details about the offer though it confirmed skeleton to form the consortium to take over the inhabitant sewerage company.

But Chin, the minister who oversees sewerage services, pronounced he was not aware of the deal.

No, Ive not heard anything about it. And Indah Water comes directly underneath my ministry, Chin told reporters currently during the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) initial introduction.

Yesterday, The Malaysian Insider reported which IWK is expected to be privatised soon to the consortium led by 1MDB, the little 11 years after the supervision was forced to bail out the inhabitant sewerage company from financial difficulties underneath the prior owners.

However, it is accepted which the little Finance Ministry officials have been still scrutinising the understanding because of concerns about the feasibility as well as worries which the supervision could once again be forced to bail out the company if the latest plan fails.

Under the due deal, the 1MDB consortium will take IWK for RM1 as well as take over the debts which embody more than RM1.5 billion in loans still due to the ministry.

The consortium is seeking the 60-year concession from the supervision as well as will only pay behind the principal amount as well as seductiveness on the loan over the prolonged term.

It additionally has skeleton to link sewerage charges to H2O usage.

The plan could spark the new ! turn of debate because of the lack of transparency surrounding negotiations, with consumers still wary about deals involving IWK.

From Day One, IWK has had problems convincing the distrustful open to pay for apart sewerage charges which had formerly been part of the H2O bill.

In 2000, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamads administration paid scarcely RM200 million to nationalise IWK to safeguard open seductiveness as well as to avoid service disruptions.

The nationalisation of IWK was to plunge into the companys debt afterwards of scarcely RM700 million.

IWKs bailout in 2000 exemplified the pitfalls of Dr Mahathirs privatisation process in which government-owned assets or resources were allocated or sole to in isolation investors in the hopes of generating profits.

The IWK story began in 1993 when office worker Tan Sri Vincent Tan assured the supervision to let the consortium of in isolation interests led by him to take over the ownership, operation as well as maintenance of more than 2,800 state-owned sewage-treatment plants nationwide.

But IWK subsequently found which most of the diagnosis plants it inherited from the supervision were not functioning as well as costs began escalating.

A national outcry additionally ensued, with most consumers as well as businesses complaining bitterly about IWK.


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