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Abolish subsidies for sustainable water supply and water wastage reduction

 
water-wastageCAP is against any water supply subsidies that are being given to consumers in Penang and Malaysia if we are to become a water-efficient nation.  We are appalled to learn that the domestic water subsidy in Penang had reached the level of RM41 million last year.

Without appreciating the true value of water, consumers will not use water wisely. Cheap water is not the solution.  If water is too cheap, people will continue to wash their cars everyday, leave the tap running and water their gardens unnecessarily.  This has been proven in Penang.
 

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Nuclear plants move offshore

By Karl Grossman

Russia has embarked on a scheme to build floating nuclear power plants to be moored off its coasts — especially off northern and eastern Russia — and sold to nations around the world.

“Absolutely safe,” Sergei Kiriyenko, director-general of Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear energy corporation, told Reuters as the barge that is to serve as the base for the first floating plant was launched recently in St. Petersburg.

However, David Lochbaum, senior safety engineer at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), describes an accident at a floating nuclear power plant as “worse” than at a land-based plant.

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Malaysian nuclear programme lacks genuine public consultation

altThe Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) and Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) is very disturbed to read that the government has already decided on the proposed nuclear energy programme as it is included as one of the 131 entry-point projects (ETP) of the Economic Transformation Programme unveiled to the public on Tuesday at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC).

We recall that Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak has indicated in his 1Malaysia blog following public outcry against adopting nuclear power plant that he would like to obtain public opinion on the matter.
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Norwegian Pension Fund’s divestment of Samling Global Limited an embarrassment

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) welcomes the announcement last month by the Norwegian Ministry of Finance to exclude Malaysian-based Samling Global Limited from its Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) investment portfolio.

The pension fund is described as Europe's largest institutional investor that held 2,792 billion kronor (approximately RM1.5 trillion) in international stocks and bonds as of end of June.

While it is a national embarrassment, the decision based on recommendation from the GPFG's Council on Ethics should serve as a wake-up call to many quarters in Malaysia.