PUTRAJAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has returned to his office at Perdana Putra amidst the political storm raging over the last two days.
The vehicle ferrying him was seen approaching the protocol gate here at 9.29am on Tuesday (Feb 25).
This comes a day after the 94-year-old Dr Mahathir resigned as Prime Minister, when the Yang di-Pertuan Agong accepted his resignation.
However, the King has consented for Dr Mahathir to continue running the country as interim Prime Minister until a new premier has been appointed and a new Cabinet formed.
Dr Mahathir is the only one from the Pakatan Harapan administration who is left after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong cancelled the appointments of all Cabinet members.
Aside from ministers, the duties of other members the administration including the deputy prime minister, deputy ministers and political secretaries ceased, effective Feb 24.
It is learnt that ministers have packed their belongings and left with them on Monday (Feb 24) night, following the announcement that the King had accepted Dr Mahathir's resignation.
Regardless of who Malaysian prime minister will be, he
will have vision and goals for economic development, which China,
especially through its BRI, can offer. It is expected that Malaysia's
next state leader will cooperate with China. And the same can be said of
other Southeast Asian nations.
PUTRAJAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has returned to his office at Perdana Putra amidst the political storm raging over the last two days.
The vehicle ferrying him was seen approaching the protocol gate here at 9.29am on Tuesday (Feb 25).
This comes a day after the 94-year-old Dr Mahathir resigned as Prime Minister, when the Yang di-Pertuan Agong accepted his resignation.
However, the King has consented for Dr Mahathir to continue running the country as interim Prime Minister until a new premier has been appointed and a new Cabinet formed.
Dr Mahathir is the only one from the Pakatan Harapan administration who is left after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong cancelled the appointments of all Cabinet members.
Aside from ministers, the duties of other members the administration including the deputy prime minister, deputy ministers and political secretaries ceased, effective Feb 24.
It is learnt that ministers have packed their belongings and left with them on Monday (Feb 24) night, following the announcement that the King had accepted Dr Mahathir's resignation.
KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has admitted that a recent technical glitch is among the reasons for the sudden surge in utility bills.
TNB president and chief executive officer Amir Hamzah Azizan, who held a press conference yesterday, was apologetic and promised to investigate and resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Amir said the technical glitch between May 15 and May 20 caused a slight disruption to the system but it had since been resolved.
“Between May 15 and May 20, the system has been operationalised in stages so we can ensure we can (provide) service to the customers as fast as we can.
“By May 20, everything was back in operation. Some customers may have been billed for extra days (causing a hike in the bill),” he told the media.
Amir urged consumers to lodge a report if they noticed any discrepancies in their bills.
He vowed that TNB would investigate and address their complaints.
Amir said in April alone, the utility company received 5,621 complaints but this almost doubled to 9,028 in May.
“This brings the total number of complaints to 14,469 reports and from this, 11,331 have been resolved.
“We would also like to repeat our stand that TNB will keep its promise to investigate the reports.
“If there is evidence that we did overcharge, we will credit the amount back to our customers’ accounts,” Amir said.
He said a special task force, led by TNB’s chief retail officer Megat Jalaluddin Megat Hassan, had been formed to oversee the complaints and resolve the issue.
Megat Jalaluddin said that it usually took about two weeks to credit the amount back to consumers but it could be delayed due to the large number of complaints received.
Amir said other reasons for the sudden surge in electricity bills include old and faulty TNB meters, replacement of new meters and increased usage in the consumer’s household.
He also assured consumers of uninterrupted electricity supply, especially during Hari Raya.
“To those who have lodged reports or ongoing investigations, we assure that the disconnection notice will be postponed for two weeks.
“We would like everyone to have a peaceful Hari Raya celebration,” he said.
Amir said the operation hours of TNB offices would be extended from 8am to 6pm from Monday to Saturday, except for public holidays.
As for the TNB Careline, the hours will be extended from 7am to 11pm every day including public holidays, except for Sunday.
This is to help facilitate complaints from consumers and to help resolve their billing issues as soon as possible.
On comments by Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin that TNB would be fined even after it rectifies the billing problem, Amir said at the moment the utility company would focus on fixing the problem.
“My focus is to resolve this issue, we will talk about other issues later. The consumers are our priority,” he said.
During an interview on 8TV’s Global Watch programme on Thursday, Yeo said the Energy Commission had already given TNB a warning letter and an instruction notice to resolve the problem.
KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) should give a concrete explanation for the sudden discrepancies in electricity bills and take holistic steps instead of just depending on complaints from users, say consumer groups.
Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) education officer N.V. Subbarao said TNB, as the national utility company, must take responsibility instead of depending on consumers to come forward and lodge reports.
“TNB must do the due diligence. It will be unfair to those especially in the rural areas,” he said.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) chief operations officer T. Saravanan said that while TNB wanted users to lodge complaints, the utility company needed to improve its customer service and response time.
He noted that TNB should explain why there was a technical glitch in its system.
“The problem should have been communicated to the public earlier and they should not have waited for the Energy Commission or Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry to intervene,” he said.
He also noted that the Energy Commission should investigate the issue and publish its findings.
“An independent investigation team should be formed so that the findings won’t be biased.
“The Energy Commission should play an important role in protecting consumers,” said Saravanan.
Malaysian Islamic Consumer Association secretary-general Datuk Dr Ma’mor Osman said TNB’s explanation that the sudden increase in electricity bill was due to a technical glitch could not be accepted.
“The public cannot accept this as TNB has all the technology to check silly mistakes.
“TNB makes very high profits and they have monopolised the sector.
“If they do not give a satisfactory explanation, consumers will assume that they just want to make more money.
“If they know there is a glitch in the system, they need to inform all consumers.
“There is no point in blaming others for their wrongdoing,” he said.
KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has admitted that a recent technical glitch is among the reasons for the sudden surge in utility bills.
TNB president and chief executive officer Amir Hamzah Azizan, who held a press conference yesterday, was apologetic and promised to investigate and resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Amir said the technical glitch between May 15 and May 20 caused a slight disruption to the system but it had since been resolved.
“Between May 15 and May 20, the system has been operationalised in stages so we can ensure we can (provide) service to the customers as fast as we can.
“By May 20, everything was back in operation. Some customers may have been billed for extra days (causing a hike in the bill),” he told the media.
Amir urged consumers to lodge a report if they noticed any discrepancies in their bills.
He vowed that TNB would investigate and address their complaints.
Amir said in April alone, the utility company received 5,621 complaints but this almost doubled to 9,028 in May.
“This brings the total number of complaints to 14,469 reports and from this, 11,331 have been resolved.
“We would also like to repeat our stand that TNB will keep its promise to investigate the reports.
“If there is evidence that we did overcharge, we will credit the amount back to our customers’ accounts,” Amir said.
He said a special task force, led by TNB’s chief retail officer Megat Jalaluddin Megat Hassan, had been formed to oversee the complaints and resolve the issue.
Megat Jalaluddin said that it usually took about two weeks to credit the amount back to consumers but it could be delayed due to the large number of complaints received.
Amir said other reasons for the sudden surge in electricity bills include old and faulty TNB meters, replacement of new meters and increased usage in the consumer’s household.
He also assured consumers of uninterrupted electricity supply, especially during Hari Raya.
“To those who have lodged reports or ongoing investigations, we assure that the disconnection notice will be postponed for two weeks.
“We would like everyone to have a peaceful Hari Raya celebration,” he said.
Amir said the operation hours of TNB offices would be extended from 8am to 6pm from Monday to Saturday, except for public holidays.
As for the TNB Careline, the hours will be extended from 7am to 11pm every day including public holidays, except for Sunday.
This is to help facilitate complaints from consumers and to help resolve their billing issues as soon as possible.
On comments by Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin that TNB would be fined even after it rectifies the billing problem, Amir said at the moment the utility company would focus on fixing the problem.
“My focus is to resolve this issue, we will talk about other issues later. The consumers are our priority,” he said.
During an interview on 8TV’s Global Watch programme on Thursday, Yeo said the Energy Commission had already given TNB a warning letter and an instruction notice to resolve the problem.
KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) should give a concrete explanation for the sudden discrepancies in electricity bills and take holistic steps instead of just depending on complaints from users, say consumer groups.
Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) education officer N.V. Subbarao said TNB, as the national utility company, must take responsibility instead of depending on consumers to come forward and lodge reports.
“TNB must do the due diligence. It will be unfair to those especially in the rural areas,” he said.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) chief operations officer T. Saravanan said that while TNB wanted users to lodge complaints, the utility company needed to improve its customer service and response time.
He noted that TNB should explain why there was a technical glitch in its system.
“The problem should have been communicated to the public earlier and they should not have waited for the Energy Commission or Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry to intervene,” he said.
He also noted that the Energy Commission should investigate the issue and publish its findings.
“An independent investigation team should be formed so that the findings won’t be biased.
“The Energy Commission should play an important role in protecting consumers,” said Saravanan.
Malaysian Islamic Consumer Association secretary-general Datuk Dr Ma’mor Osman said TNB’s explanation that the sudden increase in electricity bill was due to a technical glitch could not be accepted.
“The public cannot accept this as TNB has all the technology to check silly mistakes.
“TNB makes very high profits and they have monopolised the sector.
“If they do not give a satisfactory explanation, consumers will assume that they just want to make more money.
“If they know there is a glitch in the system, they need to inform all consumers.
“There is no point in blaming others for their wrongdoing,” he said.
Yeo said the high electricity bills problem was in most cases due to
TNB’s technical problem in billing the customers. — Picture by Saw Siow
Feng
https://youtu.be/Ap6DWFAg_gc
KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — Energy supplier Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) will still be fined even after it rectifies the billing problem which led to a sudden spike in electricity bills for consumers, minister Yeo Bee Yin has said.
Speaking in an interview during 8TV’s Global Watch programme yesterday, Yeo said the high electricity bills problem was in most cases due to TNB’s technical problem in billing the customers.
“The Energy Commission has already given them (TNB) a warning letter, and instruction notice, they must resolve the problem within 30 days and all who complained must have fair treatment,” the minister of energy, science, technology, environment and climate change said in an excerpt of the interview that was made available on Global Watch’s official Facebook page.
Yeo said TNB had already violated the Energy Commission’s standard for service levels, and that the energy company would still be penalised even if they corrected their wrong.
“Even if you corrected your wrong, you did wrong, you will be fined,” she stressed in the interview conducted in Mandarin.
Yeo said the Energy Commission is currently doing an investigation to determine which provisions of the Electricity Supply Act to fine TNB under.
“Next week or the following week, we will announce the provisions for the fine and teach them a lesson,” she said.
She noted TNB’s status as being the sole company providing electricity here.
“Because TNB is actually the sole company, you want to buy electricity, if you are unhappy, you must still buy from it.
“So I told the Energy Commission, you must grow fangs, you must regulate, so although they will correct the wrong, but there will certainly be a fine,” she added.- Malay Mail
Yeo said the high electricity bills problem was in most cases due to TNB’s technical problem in billing the customers. — Picture by Saw Siow Feng
https://youtu.be/Ap6DWFAg_gc
KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — Energy supplier Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) will still be fined even after it rectifies the billing problem which led to a sudden spike in electricity bills for consumers, minister Yeo Bee Yin has said.
Speaking in an interview during 8TV’s Global Watch programme yesterday, Yeo said the high electricity bills problem was in most cases due to TNB’s technical problem in billing the customers.
“The Energy Commission has already given them (TNB) a warning letter, and instruction notice, they must resolve the problem within 30 days and all who complained must have fair treatment,” the minister of energy, science, technology, environment and climate change said in an excerpt of the interview that was made available on Global Watch’s official Facebook page.
Yeo said TNB had already violated the Energy Commission’s standard for service levels, and that the energy company would still be penalised even if they corrected their wrong.
“Even if you corrected your wrong, you did wrong, you will be fined,” she stressed in the interview conducted in Mandarin.
Yeo said the Energy Commission is currently doing an investigation to determine which provisions of the Electricity Supply Act to fine TNB under.
“Next week or the following week, we will announce the provisions for the fine and teach them a lesson,” she said.
She noted TNB’s status as being the sole company providing electricity here.
“Because TNB is actually the sole company, you want to buy electricity, if you are unhappy, you must still buy from it.
“So I told the Energy Commission, you must grow fangs, you must regulate, so although they will correct the wrong, but there will certainly be a fine,” she added.- Malay Mail
Unhappy lot: Some of the consumers making a report over their inaccurate electricity bill at the TNB counters.
MELAKA: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has promised to re-credit the excess amount into the bills if consumers have been overcharged. In a statement, the company said it viewed seriously the concerns of consumers over the drastic increase in their bills and was committed to resolving the issue. It said it would ensure every complaint was investigated and follow-up action taken. “This includes returning the excess amount if indeed they have been overcharged. It will be re-credited into the customers’ bills,” it said, adding that it would continue to cooperate with the Energy Commission. TNB said a comprehensive effort was being carried out to thoroughly resolve the issue. “This includes helping customers with high bills to personally address their grouses at the nearest TNB outlet or contact the TNB CareLine at 1-300-88-5454. “We appreciate all the grouses, complaints and feedback and are focusing on finding ways to resolve these,” it said as it apologised to customers. Meanwhile, yesterday, more than 300 people lodged complaints over their electricity bills in the first three hours of the TNB counters being opened at its headquarters in Jalan Banda Kaba here. Some 30 counters were set up to take complaints from consumers, who lined up before the office opened. On Tuesday, the counters, which were opened for 11 hours, took in 560 complaints. The counters will remain open until tomorrow. On Tuesday, Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin said negligence and technical fault as well as billing for electricity usage for over 30 days, instead of the standard 30 days, had caused electricity bills to spike for certain consumers. She also said the complaints were from nationwide and not just in Melaka, where it is among the pioneer states to adopt TNB’s smart meter project. In another statement, TNB denied a viral message on social media that its board of directors had received a government directive to increase electricity tariffs by 30%. It said it did not have among its staff the name of the person who had purportedly written the message. It said electricity tariffs were decided by the commission.
