ENERGY ASSOC ASKS GOVT TO MERGE ENERGY SECTORS FOR EFFICIENCY

PETALING JAYA (Malaysia), Sept 3 (Bernama) -- The Water and Energy Consumer Association of Malaysia (Wecam) has urged the government to merge all energy-related sectors to achieve maximum efficiency and prolong the country's natural resources.

"The present segmented sectors are contributing to a lot of waste in terms
of resources which the country can ill afford," its secretary-general
S.Piarapakaran told Bernama Thursday.

As a first step, the National Energy Commission should extend its
jurisdiction to East Malaysia states of Sabah and Sarawak, he said, adding that
Sabah was presently facing power shortage due to poor planning and enforcement.

"It is therefore necessary for the National Energy Commission, together with
the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry and other stakeholders, to solve
the electricity shortage in Sabah urgently," he said.

He said that both Sabah and Sarawak should allow the commission to be an
independent referee to ensure that their energy market flourished and met the
demand of consumers who expected high quality services.

Piarapakaran said energy was a national security and it was the government's
duty to protect it for the future wellbeing of the nation.
-- BERNAMA