There’s an old saying: “Too many cooks spoil the broth,” meaning that when too many people are involved in one thing, the result is that you think I will do it, and I think you will do it, but in the end, no one does it.

Such things are happening in our national energy policy right now.

Under our Electricity Supply Act, Tenaga Nasional Berhad has the right to investigate all illegal electricity theft behaviors that damage electric meters and is empowered to charge suspected customers the highest fee.

On the other hand, the police are responsible for protecting victims in all complaints involving fraud, so as to bring the fraudsters to justice and clear the victims’ names.

The problem is that the police expect Tenaga Nasional Berhad to investigate on their own, while Tenaga Nasional Berhad is unwilling to spend time on investigations. As a result, innocent citizens are sued by Tenaga Nasional Berhad for huge electricity bills. The only solution for the victims is to find money to hire a lawyer to seek justice in court.

We can’t help but ask, how many people can bear the lengthy legal proceedings and heavy legal fees? And if the first-instance judge lacks keen observation, does the victim have the extra money to bring the case to the appellate court?

Ms. Alice Lee personally believe that for cases of identity theft, the police must first conduct an investigation to verify the authenticity of the tenant’s identity. Only after that should Tenaga Nasional Berhad file a civil lawsuit based on the police investigation report, thereby preventing innocent citizens from being wrongfully accused of electricity theft and burdened with huge electricity bills.