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A proxy battle royale is being waged in the forum pages of the local media by "several faceless creatures" on the options ahead for power-short Sabah.
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The most prolific output has been from letter-writers who sign themselves under various colourful pseudonyms. Among the most active are Greenman, Rumah Kayu, Green Power Engineer, Power Engineer, GGP of Sandakan, BD Golimbi, Calvinlo and Ah On.

It’s not known why SESB doesn’t make its stand known through its in-house Communications Department.

"The truth is that SESB has failed in its job. They had failed to plan and probably they had planned to fail," charged Muthu.

Extract from : http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/108486 or read more below :

Battle royale in Sabah media on power options

Joe Fernandez
Jul 14, 09
5:22pm

A proxy battle royale is being waged in the forum pages of the local media by "several faceless creatures" on the options ahead for power-short Sabah.
.
The most prolific output has been from letter-writers who sign themselves under various colourful pseudonyms. Among the most active are Greenman, Rumah Kayu, Green Power Engineer, Power Engineer, GGP of Sandakan, BD Golimbi, Calvinlo and Ah On.
It is believed that except for Green Power Engineer, Power Engineer and Rumah Kayu, the rest are linked with the Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa) and the Sabah Environmental Education Network (Seen).
Greenman, the former long-serving Sepa chief SM Muthu, however broke ranks yesterday with the anonymous lobby and stepped forward with a statement to Malaysiakini.
"I challenge Green Power Engineer and Power Engineer to reveal themselves and not continue to protect SESB (Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd) from behind a cloak of anonymity," fumed Muthu who has no qualms about stepping forward in public from behind his mask as Greenman.
"Both these persons should confine themselves to the various issues raised and not go on a personal vendetta against environmentalists,” he said.
The former Sepa chief reserved most of his public venom for Green Power Engineer and Power Engineer.
He believes that both persons are in the employ of SESB which has allegedly "embarked on a warpath against anyone standing in the way of the public utility."
Muthu declines to elaborate because "he rather not go there" but he doesn’t think that he’s wrong based on advice he has obtained from reliable sources on the issue.
Excuses that hold no water
It’s not known why SESB doesn’t make its stand known through its in-house Communications Department.
"The truth is that SESB has failed in its job. They had failed to plan and probably they had planned to fail," charged Muthu.
"Green Power Engineer and Power Engineer are trying to give excuses that hold no water. Even if the coal-fired power plants had gone ahead without objections, they would probably only be commissioned between 2011 and 2013 at the very earliest.
"How do we explain all the power shortages in the last few years and now?" he asked.
Muthu expressed dismay that Green Power Engineer ventured the theory that the various discussions in the media on the coal power plant option for Sabah are just so much "entertainment for the readers."
"We are serious about the issue for the repercussions are serious. There is nothing entertaining about it," said Muthu. "All Sabahans will suffer if the wrong decisions are taken."
Muthu noted that Green Power Engineer had alleged that an "incompetent" Sabah state government had literally begged the federal government to take over SESB.
In a tit for tat move, Muthu opined that this was tantamount to sedition.
Further, he ventured that "SESB and parent company Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) could likewise be charged with sedition for insisting on the coal option despite Chief Minister Musa Aman being against the idea."
Green Power Engineer had earlier suggested that Muthu be charged with sedition for alleging that "SESB and TNB are using their Mafia-like might to force the coal plant down the throats of Sabahans."
Muthu notes that the Sandakan Chinese Chamber of Commerce secretary-general Stephen Wong also made a seditious statement recently – "It is proven that TNB is incapable of looking after the welfare and interests of the people of Sabah" – according to Green Power Engineer’s interpretation of the Sedition Act.
"If Green Power Engineer ever comes to power, it looks like anyone who disagrees with the government would have to go to jail," said Muthu.
"For the benefit of Green Power Engineer, it was political interference and related mismanagement that crippled SESB previously. A corporatised SESB, free of political interference, can be a successful public utility."
Muthu reiterated his four-point objection to the coal option for Sabah viz. gas is a cleaner alternative that is readily available; the gas is from Sabah; gas offers security for Sabah since there would be less likelihood of price fluctuations; and coal is the very antithesis of the idea of Sabah banking on its natural beauty to bring in the tourist dollars.
"TNB chairperson Leo Moggie has floated the idea of using clean coal technology and this has the support of both Green Power Engineer and Power Engineer," noted Muthu.
"Linking coal with clean technology is like linking the idea of health with smoking healthy cigarettes.
"Save for Masidi Manjun (state environment minister), the rest of the Sabah cabinet is united in silence in the face of the imminent decision by TNB and Leo Moggie to force the coal option on Sabah."
Peninsular Malaysia-born Muthu declared that he will continue opposing the coal option for Sabah "and stand up for the people even if no one else will".
For the record, he disclosed that he had previously been threatened with physical bodily harm and even deportation from Sabah for his environmental activities in Kota Kinabalu.
"In 1997, I was sued for RM30 million for libel under trumped-up charges for standing up to save Likas Bay in Kota Kinabalu from developers," said Muthu underlining his credentials for being part of the Anti-Coal Lobby in Sabah.
"I have been kicked out from jobs and my family has led a tough life because of my involvement in environmental causes in the face of threats by criminal elements and hooligans."
The former Sepa chief vowed that he would not be deterred by Green Power Engineer, Power Engineer or anyone else under any other pseudonym.
He pledged to be "willing to give my life to defend God’s creations and Sabahans with God on his side."
30 unfavourable factors
While most of the public slanging match is between Greenman on one side and Green Power Engineer and Power Engineer united against him, the latter duo backed by Rumah Kayu, have also publicly attacked BD Golimbi, Ah On – for writing to malaysiakini – Calvinlo and GGP of Sandakan.
GGP has incurred the wrath of Power Engineer and Green Power Engineer by continuing to publicly highlight "30 factors that don’t favour the coal option".
Green Power Engineer’s main argument against the anti-coal Lobby is that "lies and rubbish are being spread everywhere and I will not remain silent".
"If there is failure by the government in providing enough electricity to the people, the opposition is equally guilty because all of them were once in the government in Sabah," fired off Green Power Engineer in the latest public tirade against the lobby.
"The Sapp (Sabah People’s Progressive Party) president was even once chief minister."
Muthu’s unwavering stand on the coal option has struck a chord, among others, with Cash (Consumers Association of Sabah and Labuan) president Patrick Sindu and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia.
WWF "opposes the coal plant wherever it is sited in Sabah". "Something is not right," said Sindu, also a Sepa Committee member, in a brief comment about the coal option and recurrent power shortages in Sabah amidst load-shedding exercises by SESB.
SESB Senior Manager (Communications) Chenderamata Sinteh meanwhile confirmed that the total power supply currently available in Sabah was just 700 MW, barely enough for the west coast but this has to be shared with the east coast.
Any incident in the transmission line in the west coast could result in the east coast experiencing massive power outages. The east coast relies on an old and unreliable diesel-based power system.

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