Hun Sen Power Would
Be Cheaper
«ច្បាស់ណាស់ថា
បន្ទាប់ពីថ្លៃអគ្គិសនីនេះទៅ គឺនឹងអ្នកឆ្លើយប្រាប់ថា
បើសិនអញកាន់អំណាច អញនឹងបញ្ចុះថ្លៃអគ្គិសនីនេះ ថោកជាងហ្នឹង ៣ដង។
ប៉ុន្តែសូមបញ្ជាក់ថា អត់មានឱកាសណាថោកជាងតម្លៃហ្នឹងបានទៀតទេ»។
នាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន ថ្ងៃទី១២ ខែមករា ២០១៥ វិទ្យុអាស៊ីសេរី
“អ្នកញុះញង់មួយចំនួនថា នៅវៀតណាម១គីឡូភ្លើងតែ២៥០រៀល។ គ្មានមានអាត្រានេះទាល់តែសោះ
អត់មានទេ។ អញ្ចឹងវាជាការបោកប្រាស់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋេ ដើម្បីធ្វើគោលដៅផ្សេង។”
អគ្គនាយកអគ្គិសនីកម្ពុជា កែវរតនៈ ថ្ងៃទី១៤ ខែមករា ២០១៥ វិទ្យុបារាំងអន្តរជាតិ
“We have created electricity [at Stung
Tatai Dam in Koh Kong] that is beyond the capacity of the current power grid
during the rainy season, and this electricity has not been used yet. We do not yet
have a power grid to absorb and distribute [the electricity].”
Ministry of Mines and Energy secretary of state Ith Praing, 21
November 2014, The Cambodia Daily
“During the rainy season in 2014, Cambodia
has had a surplus of about 246 megawatts [of electricity] that has not been
consumed due to lack of a power grid.”
Premier Hun Sen, 6 October
2014, The Cambodia Daily (21 November 2014)
Is Hun Sen right when he claims there is no chance the
electricity price drops to one third of the current level without nuclear power
plant?
He is dead wrong.
Just a day after the claim, Electricite du Cambodge
director-general Keo Rattanak announces a maximum electricity rate of 610 riels
per Kwh (15.06 cents) for those who consume power less than 51 Kwh per month. If
he is right that some room-renters pay their landlord 2,500 riels per Kwh, the
new rate is only a quarter of the current one. If the better-off also pays the
2,500 riel rate, their new rate of 820 riels per Kwh represents a drop to about
one third. Hence, Hun Sen’s own power pricing policy gives the lie to his claim.
Nevertheless, Keo Rattanak also lies when he says
there is no such thing as 250 riels per Kwh in Vietnam. Yes, there is. The
lowest rate for Vietnamese poor for less than 51 Kwh per month is 5.66 US cents,
or 229 riels. He forgets a golden rule for lying: one lies only when it is impossible
for others to check. A few clicks on Google search will provide all the numbers
to prove Keo Rattanak does not know what, when, and how to lie.
Beyond
the lies, Hun Sen could do much better, though. Indeed, he can take all credits
for providing electricity to the people more than Pol Pot ever has. But a
wishful thinking is that he would give Cambodians a break.
Cambodians,
especially the poor, fare badly if the comparison moves beyond the Khmer Rouge
handiwork. In contrast to their counterparts in neighbouring countries,
Cambodian poor still pay far too much for Hun Sen power even with the new rate
of 15.06 US cents. For the same amount of usage per month, Thai poor pay 7.74
cents; Vietnamese poor, 5.65 cents; and Lao poor, only 4.60 cents. None of
these countries operates any nuclear plant.
Not
only the Cambodian poor pay more in absolute terms than their neighbours, they
pay even more from their income perspective. Out of their GDP per capita of
$1,007, the Cambodian electricity takes 9.0%. Vietnamese spend 1.8% of theirs;
Lao, 1.7%; and Thai only 0.8%. Thus, the Cambodian back is bending due to the
electricity burden – not scoliosis.
GDP per
|
Electricity Rates US Cent
|
Monthly
|
Annual Cost
|
Cost/GDP
|
||
Capita (USD)
|
Lowest
|
Highest
|
<51 Kwh
|
Amount USD
|
Proportion
|
|
Cambodia
|
1,007
|
15.06
|
20.25
|
15.06
|
90.38
|
9.0%
|
Laos
|
1,661
|
4.20
|
12.07
|
4.60
|
27.60
|
1.7%
|
Thailand
|
5,779
|
0.00
|
13.00
|
7.74
|
46.44
|
0.8%
|
Vietnam
|
1,911
|
5.66
|
8.59
|
5.65
|
33.94
|
1.8%
|
Compiled
by Pseng-Pseng, 26 January, 2015
It is also clear why Hun
Sen electricity must cost so much. His power management is not as efficient as
the way he uses guns and court to demolish peaceful demonstrations. Both he and
Ith Praing know the 246-megawatt Stung Tatai Dam in Koh Kong has been producing
electricity since August last year, but all the energy has gone unused because
there is no power grid to bring it to consumers. Brightway vice-president Chea
Sitha estimates the government loses about $74 million in revenue. This is
another one of Hun Sen’s obsessions of putting the horse in front of the cart,
so that his personal interest group can make a quick buck from the
back-to-front development.
Ung Bun Ang
30i15
Parthian Shot
There
is a man on a kerb at a pathway intersection laughing. A pedestrian asks him
why he is laughing. He replies, “Do you see that rock in the middle of the
pathway? I have been standing here observing all morning. That rock has tripped
up more than 10 people, yet nobody has removed it.” He continues to laugh.
After
laughing his head off the whole morning, the man decides to do a research on
why nobody cares enough to remove the rock.
Then
he finds out there is a standing order from a police chief to keep the rock
there to trip up pedestrians in the hope they will be hurt badly enough to go
to a private medical clinic located close by. The clinic will then pays a
kickback to the police chief, who shares a cut with his superior.
The
man sits down, and this time cries his heart out the whole afternoon. Even he
cannot remove the rock…
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