Dealers to be scrapped

Sabah Times, 3rd March, 2007

KOTA KINABALU: Appointing just one sole agent, owned by the government, to purchase scrap iron could well be the answer to the rampant sale of stolen scrap metal in the state.

The Ministry of Local Government and Housing will make the proposal among others to the government seeing that the problem has escalated to a scale that it can no longer be controlled by the local authorities.

Its minister, Datuk Hajiji Mohd Noor (picture) said the widespread theft of cables and scrap metal belonging to the government and private sector had caused losses running into millions of ringgit.

“I will ask officers of the ministry to prepare a proposal to appoint just one company to buy scrap iron to put a stop to this problem. I realise there are many items made of metal that belong to the public and government stolen by the unscrupulous who just want quick money,” he said.

Hajiji was speaking after receiving a group of visitors from Telekom Malaysia led by general manager Haji Umran Uthman at his office here yesterday.

He said if the proposal is accepted then several scrap iron dealers will have their licences cancelled to sanction just one agent to buy the material.

“If the sole agent owned by the government becomes a reality then the government will work closely with the Royal Customs Department to monitor the export of scrap iron too,” he added.

Other than Telekom, the Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd and local authorities also suffer hefty losses from the theft of scrap metal.