RM17b

Important notes from "RM17b which could be better spent elsewhere"(By R. Nadeswaran, The Sun)

-Why is the government reviving the once abandoned undersea cable project from Sarawak to Peninsular Malaysia?

-The peninsula has more than enough power generating plants including IPPs.Why is RM17billion being spent on a white elephant when what the country wants dearly is a lot of basic needs and price control?

-TNB: The electricity capacity for Malaysia excluding Sarawak exceeds peak demand by 43%, while in Sarawak it is only 10%. Peak demand for energy in Sarawak is expected to rise to 860MW this year and to 1174MW by 2015.

-Deputy Minister(April 08): By 2013, Bakun Dam is expected to begin transmitting 1600MW to Peninsular Malaysia via the 676km submarine cable across the South China Sea.(but Peninsular Malaysia already having excess capacity of up to 45%, what is Tenaga going to do with the 1600MW?)

-State-government owned Cahaya Mata Sarawak Berhad has entered into a joint-venture agreement with Australian mining giant, RIO TINTO ALUMINUM LTD, to set up a RM7billion aluminum smelting plant near Bintulu.So, where is this new project going to get its power from if the power generated by Bakun ends up in the peninsula?

-Why would anyone spend billions laying an undersea cable when there is enough domestic demand and there is a ready buyer in the neighbourhood?

-At a time when rising food prices have required us to tighten our belts, would it be prudent to spend such a colossal sum of money on something we don't need?