Klang MP Charles Santiago is pictured in Parliament in Kuala Lumpur October 10, 2019. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 — The government has terminated Klang MP Charles Santiago’s services as the chairman of the National Water Services Commission (SPAN), along with all other commissioners installed by the Pakatan Harapan administration.

Santiago told Malay Mail he only received the letter today informing him of his termination effective April 10.

He said PAS’s Dungun MP Wan Hassan Mohd Ramli will take over the position.

“Anyone who knows me will understand this is not about losing a fancy designation but rather the deep concern that all the hard work done over the last eighteen months may possibly go to waste.

“My immediate response to the termination is to try and put in place a ‘check and balance’ mechanism, which would allow the public to hold the new administration of SPAN accountable, and to also ensure their actions and decisions are justifiable to the people,” he said.

Santiago also listed some of efforts initiated during his short stint in SPAN, which includes strengthening SPAN’s functions as a regulatory body by launching the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Framework for Licence Holders and Certified Agencies in September last year.

Under this framework, it was mandated that water supply and sewerage companies must set aside at least 1 per cent of their operational budgets to combat corruption, strengthen integrity and corporate governance within their organisations.

Santiago said that he had also pushed for SPAN to conduct special performance audits on water utilities, on top of its usual audit activities, adding that, three companies have been audited.

“I undertook an internal restructuring of SPAN in September last year. The process saw the merging of water and sewerage regulatory units into a single department.

“The water regulatory body’s enforcement division was strengthened and earlier this year, I launched the eight strategic thrusts to transform SPAN into a more dynamic, transparent, efficient and consultative organisation. I have always believed that water security should be given national prominence. It is an issue of national security and deserves more public attention,” he added.

Santiago said that he has also done his best to raise public awareness through the media about the impact of river pollution to water supply in states like Perak and Kedah.

He said under his watch, last year, SPAN also ordered the shutdown of the Ayer Ganda water treatment plant in Perak, when arsenic levels surpassing the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) stipulated safe limit were discovered in the plant’s treated water.

He said that his office was also in the midst of preparing for a second seminar on climate change and its impact on water supply in Peninsular Malaysia, in conjunction with the World Water Day’s theme —Water and Climate Change — last month.

“We intended to consult various stakeholders to provide input to the country’s national climate adaptation plan for water and raise public awareness on the importance of water conservation in the age of climate change. But that had to be postponed due to Covid-19. I will, however, continue to work on the seminar that will be held in the format of a webinar in the near future,” he added.

Santiago said that he has also proposed for the setting up of a National River Protection Authority as the single agency and highest authority responsible for protecting all rivers, as rivers are the people’s main and cheapest source of water supply.

“But it’s important that you, the people reading this and every other Malaysian, take ownership of this issue and become the watchdog to ensure our rivers are protected.

“It’s important that together, we lobby the federal government and state governments, to channel more resources — funds and personnel, into monitoring and protecting our rivers and all other precious freshwater sources effectively,” he added.

Santiago also thanked all the commissioners in SPAN and his officers with whom he worked with during his 18-month tenure.