When government makes their budget allocation, when they spend the revenues they receive from taxes, duties, our natural resources - they are basically directing how our funds are properly allocated and accounted for. Just because the other person did not touch you does not mean its not "rape". Just because it did not come directly from our wallets does not mean the money does not belong to the us (the public).
Why were people angry when it comes to MAS bailout? Why do we need to bailout the water companies now? Where is the business logic? Is it similar to the US bailouts of banks and insurance firms? No, at least that was too major a situation which could have jeopardise the entire financial industry for years.
What are we jeopardising here? When these companies gleefully pay themselves dividends in the past, now the government has to step in? Can we get back the dividends then?
IF THATS THE CASE, LET ME RUN A GLC, I WILL MAKE HUGE BETS BY INVESTING IN VARIOUS VENTURES USING FUNDS RAISED VIA BONDS AND SUCH. When they pay off, I will be a grand hero and reward myself and my cronies richly. When they fail, I can come up with 101 excuses and the government will redeem the bond at par. How to fucking lose???
What kind of entrepreneurship mentality are we cultivating here? Gawd, a few of the owners of these companies are already worth hundreds of millions and they don't stand to lose a sen.
Is it because they cannot collect rates from users, or they are not allowed raise rates, which is why the government has to "pay"??? What kind of business model did they all set out to do from the start before committing billions? Why is it then that companies are sooo keen to own these "water companies"? How can they make hundreds of millions before and pay themselves big dividends? What went wrong? Why is it that the government always have to bail out these losers?
Want to define what are wastage and leakages ... this is a prime example, people.
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Pua: Water bonds premium price abuse of public funds
KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — The federal government’s decision to buy back Selangor water bonds at a significant premium is not only an abuse of taxpayers’ monies but borders on the outrageous, Tony Pua has said.
Quoting The Edge Financial Daily, the DAP publicity chief said the RM6.5 billion rescue deal will see Putrajaya acquire the bonds for 94.49 against a mark-to-market value of only 54.54 at the end of last month, or 73.2 per cent above market value.
Pua (picture) said the bond buyback, which will be done through the Water Asset Management Company’s (PAAB) wholly-owned unit, Acqua SPV Bhd, was akin to the bailout of Malaysian Airlines System Bhd (MAS) in 2000 when the government paid 121 per cent above market value for Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli’s shares.
Putrajaya has also not been clear on how it plans to restructure Selangor’s water industry in line with the Water Services Industry Act 2006 after taking over the debts and whether water concessionaires will be required to repay the government, he said.
The Petaling Jaya MP said it was inexplicable that the government would settle outstanding bonds of privatised water companies when the companies’ shareholders should be taking responsibility for their own debt.
“In fact, when these companies were profitable, they have declared handsome dividends for their shareholders. Among the concessionaires, Syarikat Pengeluaran Air Sungai Selangor Holdings (Splash), whose parent company is Gamuda Bhd, declared dividends of RM578.6 million in 2007 while Puncak Niaga Holdings Bhd (PNHB) had declared dividends amounting to RM214 million between 2006 and 2010,” he said in a statement today.
“The above certainly makes true the dictum of the BN government privatising profits and socialising losses by taking over the debt burden of these companies.”
Pua said that Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin should disclose terms of the bailout as it will affect the basic right to water of Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya residents, as well as billions of ringgit in taxpayers’ monies.
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