民政党促检讨另列固体废料收费单提议
民政党环境，安全及生活素质局主任
谢顺海医生文告
2011年7月26日
民政党环境，安全及生活素质局主任谢顺海医生今天呼吁政府重新检讨将现有隐藏在门牌税内的固体废料收费另列账单的提议。他是针对某家本地中文报报导国家固体废料管理局策略主任的宣布而发表以上的言论。
谢顺海医生也是吉打州德卡区州议员。他表示，根据过去政府当局与英达丽水公司的经验显示，将固体废料管理费用从门牌税分割出来，很可能会导致废料管理费用的提升。
谢顺海医生说，排水管理费在过去是隐藏在水费单里的，然而，自从1994年政府将排污处理服务委托给英达丽水公司，以期能提供更佳的服务以后，排污费就被分割出来，成为另一个独立的排污账单。而我们所看到的是，被分割出来的排污费用，并不是和隐藏在水费单里时的价格一样，而是随着就增加的。
谢顺海医生说，"除非政府可以确保固体废料管理的费用不会像英达丽水那样调高费用，否则这将会带来另一轮人民的不满，而很可能会导致很多家庭不愿意支付这笔看似额外的费用，就像英达丽水公司目前所面对的困境一样。"
谢顺海医生的第二项顾虑是另列账单并不能确保固体废料管理服务效率的改进。如今整个社会正在面对着生活费不断提升而薪水迟迟不增的困境，谢顺海医生推测这项措施一旦实施，会有很多家庭不愿意支付这笔看似额外的费用。这种情况将会导致固体废料管理公司面临因无法收到费用，而导致无法正常运作的问题。一旦这种情况发生，不就完全违背了将固体废料管理费用另列账单的目的吗？
谢顺海医生也说，将政府延缓将管理费用付给固体废料管理公司的责任转嫁到劳苦大众的身上是很不公平的，政府应该做的是想出一个更好的办法将费用尽早交给固体废料管理公司，而不是以一个另列的账单来给大众制造更多不必要的麻烦。如果推行这项措施的目的是为了减少交付费用给固体废料公司的收费程序，那政府可以将缴费的工作委托给负责收取门牌税的地方政府当局来处理，与其将钱转到联邦政府那里再汇给固体废料公司，不如直接由地方政府交付给有关公司，这么一来，人民不但不必多付一张账单，而固体废料公司也可以省下另外开账单，然后寄发给家家户户的工作与费用。
Gerakan: Reconsider separating bill for solid waste from quit rent
Press statement by Dr Cheah Soon Hai,
Gerakan head of central bureau on environment, safety and quality of life
26 July, 2011
Gerakan head of central bureau on environment, safety and quality of life, Dr Cheah Soon Hai today urges the government to reconsider the idea of segregating the bill for solid waste from the quit rent. He is referring to the report by a local Chinese press on the announcement of the matter by the National Solid Waste Management Strategy Chief yesterday.
Dr Cheah who is also Kedah Derga State Assemblyman said, based on the experience the nation has with the Indah Water Konsortium company whereby in the past, segregating the solid waste management charges from the quit rent is likely to end up in the increasing of the charge.
Dr Cheah said, the sewerage management fee was once hidden in the water bill, however, in 1994, the sewerage management was separated from the water bill when the government awarded IWK the task to provide efficient sewerage system for the rakyat but ended up with the increasing of the sewerage charges.
"Unless the government could ensure that the price of solid waste management would not increase like what IWK did, if not, this will only be another round of dispute between the rakyat and the solid waste management company where many would refuse to make their payment just like what IWK is undergoing since the past," Dr Cheah said.
The second issue which concerns Dr Cheah regarding the proposal of giving a separate bill on solid waste management is that this measure does not ensure better quality of service. Dr Cheah presumes that it is very likely many will refuse to pay for the solid waste management bill because it appears as an additional cost of living to them which is unsought for when living cost is already at the rise. Such situation will end up in debts to the solid waste management company, it would be very difficult for the company to function when the company faces with financial problem. And this clearly defeats the purpose of segregating the bill from quit rent.
Dr Cheah also says, it is unfair to push the responsibility to the public to settle the issue of delay of payment by the government to the solid waste management companies. The government should think of a better way to transfer the fee to the companies instead of causing more hassle to the rakyat by introducing a new bill which is very likely to increase in fee as time passes. The government could easily delegate the task to make payment to the solid waste management companies to the local government who is collecting the quit rent on behalf of the government to transfer the portion of solid waste management fee to the related companies.
