JERLUN: Kedah will take the raw water matter to court if negotiations come to a deadlock, Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Nor said.
“We will negotiate with Penang now, as we are in Malaysia together.
“But, if the issue comes to a deadlock, it could be brought to court and this will be the final move by the state government,” he said when met by reporters after launching the ground-breaking ceremony for Jerlun PAS Complex here today.
He was asked whether the state government would bring the matter to court for settlement if Penang refused to pay the Kedah government.
Yesterday, Sanusi was reported as saying that Kedah was still open to negotiations with Penang over the payment for raw water before seeking the intervention of the federal government.
Before this, Kedah was claiming RM50 million from the Penang Water Supply Corporation as payment for raw water taken from Sungai Muda since 2010 but it was ignored by Penang.
Earlier today, Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy said the state was ready to talk but it would not negotiate on the cost as requested by Kedah.
“I don’t understand why Sanusi is so hard on Penang. Maybe it is because we are on the other side of the political divide. We are open to discussions but negotiations are out,” he said.
Ramasamy emphasised that it was not a case of Penang not wanting to pay, but it should not be paying when water was being drawn from its side of the river.
He said he was not sure why Kedah was delaying participation in the water supply restructuring initiatives with the federal government.
“If this is done, Kedah will get a good deal. There is no point blaming the Penang government all the time. We are not stealing water from Kedah, we are only drawing water, to reiterate, on our side of Sungai Muda.”