Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) which was reported has reaped some handsome amount of profit at 6.5 billion ringgit last year, is criticized by Datuk Francis Goh for not injecting capital into Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB).

Goh, who is the President of Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers Association (SHAREDA), said that this has caused SESB, which is running at loss, resorted to hiking electricity tariff and imposing non-transparent capital contribution on property developers.

He said so as to response to the vehement objection by the Sabah Electricity Board Workers' Union over SHAREDA's offer to buy over the State power company recently, adding that SHAREDA was not against the Sabah Electricity Board Workers' Union.

Moreover, the workers' union has no authority to decide whether to accept SHAREDA's offer to buy over SESB as they are not shareholders of the company, he said.

On the other hand, he also disclosed that SHAREDA has called on the Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Maximus Ongkili and SESB's top management few weeks ago.

Goh recalled that during the meeting, the top management of SESB actually made the offer to SHAREDA to take over the company, unbeknown to the Sabah Electricity Board Workers' Union.

Meanwhile, SHAREDA hoped that the government could regain the 80 percent shares in SESB, while SHAREDA would take the lead to raise RM200,000 and inject the money into SESB in order to enhance the electricity supply in the State.

According to TNB's annual financial report, the company has made a profit of RM6.5 billion last year, he said, and since TNB holds 80 percent stake in SESB, the company should have injected part of its profit into SESB to improve its operations.

It is reported that if the State Government succeeded in regaining its 80 percent shares in SESB and allow SHAREDA to take over the power company, Goh vowed that the association would offer 30 percent shares to the State Government instead of the existing 20 percent SESB shares and reduce electricity tariff by 15 percent.

Over and above that, Goh said, the association would increase the salary of SESB workers by 10 percent if the acquisition was realized.

At present, Goh said, each household is paying between RM300 and RM400 every month, around 10 percent of the average salary of Sabahans, to SESB. Furthermore, SESB imposes high capital contribution charges on property developers.

Goh also stressed that even without TNB, Sabah is able to run SESB to provide efficient electricity supply to its people.