Kota Kinabalu: Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Mustapha Sakmud, advised a student group which urged Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) to sue the State Water Department (JANS) to seek an explanation from the department.
He said while it is the right of any party to file a lawsuit, such action must follow proper legal procedures.
“The water supply issues at UMS were not deliberate. There are various technical factors that need to be considered,” he said during the 2024 Madani SPM Excellent Student Awards Ceremony for the Sepanggar parliamentary area, here, Monday.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});He was responding to the call from student group Suara Mahasiswa for legal action over the water supply disruptions at the UMS campus.
Mustapha, also Sepanggar MP, said the Telibong II Water Treatment Plant (WTP) has been completed.
“However, pipe installation is still underway, causing delays. The real issue now lies with the unfinished Pan Borneo Highway. Because of that, the pipe installation couldn’t be completed as scheduled.
“Efforts are being made to resolve the matter, but technical issues have caused setbacks. If students are still unsatisfied after receiving an explanation, they have the option to pursue legal action,” he said.