TUN Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who served as both the fourth and seventh prime minister of Malaysia, recently addressed the issue of water sales to Singapore.
He noted that the current rate is RM0.03 per gallon, while Malaysia buys back treated water at RM0.50 per gallon. Dr Mahathir claimed that, had he completed his full term, he would have taken action to address this price discrepancy.
However, netizens appear to be tired of his remarks. Some even went to say that he had over 20 years to do something about it, but, nothing changed during his respective tenures.
An X user stated that he should be asked why he did not do anything about it for all of these years?
Yng interview dia pun sama banggang dgn dia knpa x tnya blk msa u jadi PM 22 thn x nak buat.
— Boy Chan (@BoyChan1238) October 5, 2024
Additionally, social media users state that the former premier should remember the phrase “talk is cheap”. There were harsh questions directed towards him, with an X user asking if it’s an unpleasant version of him on display again.
What has Atuk (Dr M) implied?
1. That he should still be, the prime minister?
2. What stopping him from doing it during his 22years+22mths reign?
3. Is talking not cheap?
4. The “rottenness” of him is on display, again. No?— 🅐🅕🅡🅐🅛’🅢 (@AfralAbdullah) October 5, 2024
Reports stated Dr Mahathir is of the view that Malaysia has “subsidised” Singapore RM39 mil annually due to the low water tariff.
Over 61 years, this subsidy totals RM2.4 bil. Despite attempts to renegotiate the 1962 Johor River Water Agreement, Singapore’s tough conditions prevented any financial adjustments, leading to criticism of Dr Mahathir’s inaction during his terms.
Now, some users defend Singapore, noting that the treated water it sells back to Malaysia is at a lower cost compared to its actual production cost.
They argued that Singapore is essentially subsidising Malaysia by selling treated water at a price lower than its true expense.
This case has been debated many years ago and it was revealed that while Sg bought raw water from us at cheap price, they also sell back treated water at lower than cost price, give and take, ya? Now Sg going to buy electric from Au, not us, Malaysians should thank you, ya?
— Ng Siak Hooi🇲🇾 (@siakhooi) October 5, 2024
For example, treated waste water in America costs around RM12 to 16 per gallon, according to Samcotech, a New York-based water treatment facility.
This raises a pertinent question: if the price of raw water increases, would Singapore significantly hike the prices of the treated water it sells back to Malaysia? – Oct 5, 2024
Main photo credit: Utusan
