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WARISAN president Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd Shafie Apdal has urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate the contractor or water concessionaire responsible for the Sepanggar area, following the ongoing water crisis affecting Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
In a statement today, he said that if the Sabah government has nothing to hide, it should welcome MACC’s involvement.
“Being open to scrutiny is the first step toward solving the real problem. Let us not insult the intelligence of Sabahans by blaming others,” he said.
He said if the state government still needs to point fingers after five years in power, then it has admitted its own incompetence. “Enough is enough. Water is not a political game — it is a human right,” he said.
It was earlier reported that a row had erupted between UMS and the Sabah State Water Department (JANS) over the source of the university’s ongoing water crisis, with each side blaming the other as frustration mounts among students and staff.
UMS Vice-Chancellor Datuk Dr Kasim Mansur has accused the department of downplaying the severity of the situation, disputing JANS’s claim that the university receives sufficient daily water supply from the state’s main R13 tank.
Some student groups have also reportedly threatened legal action against the water department, accusing the department of neglecting its responsibilities and leaving them to endure unsanitary conditions on campus.
“The crisis has escalated beyond a local concern and has become a national embarrassment.
“When students at a major public university are forced to go days without clean water to drink, cook, and bathe, it reflects a deep failure in governance, planning and empathy,” said Shafie.
He said that if there had been proper planning, no student would still be facing water shortages in 2025.
“Certainly not in lecture halls, not in hostels, and not in Sabah.
“UMS is not a remote school but a national institution with over 23,000 students and staff who rely on the R13 tank, which also serves Hospital Likas and surrounding commercial areas,” he said.
Shafie revealed that when water levels in the tank fall below 0.5 metres, the entire supply system fails and yet repeated complaints and formal letters to the Sabah JANS have reportedly gone unanswered.
“It’s no wonder the students are protesting. They are demanding basic human dignity. We are not making accusations ,,, we are calling for transparency,” Shafie added. – June 5, 2025