Thursday, May 1st, 2008
(Dipotong dari Borneo Post)
No money no talk, says Manyin
(By Lim How Pim)
Rate-payers must be prepared to pay more for quality service from local councils
KUCHING: Rate-payers are told to stop accusing the local councils of not delivering quality services since they are not prepared to pay more.
IT’S A DEAL: Khairuddin (right) exchanges the signed documents with Aulbert, witnessed by Manyin and Trienekens’ Human Resource and Projects director Alice Lee (second left). — Photo by Johnathan Bullet
Minister of Environment and Public Health Datuk Michael Manyin said: “They want the best but don’t want to pay. The 26 local councils in the state have always been criticised for not delivering quality services. How can they when they don’t have enough resources?
“And when we want to increase the assessment rate, the people will object. The opposition will come out and make an issue out of it, saying that the government is not with the people,” he said after witnessing the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and Sarawak Wastes Management Sdn Bhd/Trienekens (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd to carry out joint research on waste characterisation studies in major towns of the state.
While the local councils had been striving to be self-sufficient to provide quality services, Manyin said the introduction of user-pay concept was not well received by the rate-payers.
“The local councils are forced to follow the standard being practised in Germany, which is high as far as environment standard is concerned to meet the rising expectations of the people.
“We have no choice but to conform to the standard lest we will be branded as polluters,” he said.
He reckoned that Sarawakians were not really concerned so much about environment but they cared about rubbish being dumped on the street, in front or at the back of their houses.
He thus hoped that the MoU would come up with better ideas to enhance garbage collection and waste management at a reduced cost besides creating clean environment.
At a press conference later, Manyin pointed out that the Mambong landfill here was one of the only two level-four standard sanitary landfills in the nation, but producing such high-quality service was generally very costly.
Sanitary landfills varied with dumping sites, and the people should not compare the two waste management approaches, which offered great differences in cost and hygiene.
“Ever since Trienekens came into the picture, the local councils have been practising higher standard of waste management, and comparing sanitary landfills with dumping sites is like comparing an apple with a mango.
“The people here should not compare the cleanliness level with that in Singapore, Japan or European countries, where in Singapore for instance, the fine system is enforced,” he said.
He felt that education played important role in educating the people with the right mindset and good culture towards making the environment clean and friendly.
He said Sarawakians, for example, lacked the culture of picking up litter whenever and wherever they spotted one.
“What the government does is to educate the people to make them have the right habit and understand that it is their responsibility to make the cities and towns clean,” he said, hoping that all the locals would be able to achieve that in a few years time.
Trienekens (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd managing director Gerhard Aulbert said that urban dwellers generated 300kg of waste per person a year.
“This is quite a big amount compared to that in developed countries. And if we can have many participants for the project, the cost can be brought down. Trienekens has always promoted the user-pay concept but enforcement seems to be a big issue in Sarawak,” he said.
He thus suggested that a standard approach be used to meet the soaring and complex needs of Sarawakians. “Those who want quality services must pay more.”
Unimas acting vice chancellor Professor Dr Khairuddin Abdul Hamid said the MoU was in line with the university’s desire of sharing its expertise, addressing the current needs and solving problems of the local communities.
“It goes a long way in formulating better solid waste management in Sarawak,” he said, adding that the collaboration started during the Engineering Conference 2007, and after several informal discussions between them and Trienekens.
The RM300,000-project is funded by SWM Sdn Bhd, the state government’s arm and concessionaire of the Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWMS) and its operating company Trienekens to develop a database that can provide information on current waste characteristics on households and commercial waste streams in urban and semi-urban areas in the state.
It will come under the wings of Unimas’ Research Innovation and Management Centre. Aside from Unimas, Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) is another project partner.
The two-year project entails the development of methodology and database, data analysis and report preparations. Possible methods include waste studies at points of generations, weight analysis, areas of origin, wastes at disposal sites and landfills.
(What is my view- taki kasung view)
When comming to public services, Manying must not talk about money or mention the word MONEY.
As a Minister alone, he must use his full wisdom of speech in giving speeches. If you read the Borneo Post statement above, I feel ashamed of myself as Bidayuh.
He should says, "While we are giving services, we want city dwellers coorporation. The cost of collecting and transportation are actually more and it is hard to get labour to collect "Rubbish". The cost of managing Waste is actually more. Itu baru betul pandai cakap.......
and you also can conclude "Bidayuh people were giving their utmost, a land but was given very cheap.....Yes, cheap.......cost less than cheap sale price for the government to build Dumping site. We give and so the others should appreciate"
Haiyaa......
No wounder you build Crocodile statue at SMK Tebakang Secoundary School and hack the dinning hall wall for the student to watch Television every saturday.
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