Blackout

No, it's not one of the Scorpion's songs. Last night, there was no electricity in the area where I stay. It's been happening all to frequent. I don't mind the darkness but in the hot and humid climate of Malaysia, the heat can become a big problem, day or night.

Maybe it's just another excavation taking the wrong hole. Maybe it's just someone caught dead trying to steal metal parts from the electrical substations. Maybe it's just some drunk driver rammed into one of those power lines. Maybe it's just someone who's trying to make illegal electrical connections to the main electrical lines. Maybe it's just that the surrounding customers haven't been paying their bills on time and the electricity company trying to get even. Maybe.

Whatever the excuse is, the electricity company must do something to improve the service or at least, the turnaround time with blackouts. Not a month goes by without a blackout lasting 3 to 6 hours.

It's just unbelievable. Many years back, someone, refering to the frequent power outages in Sabah, coined the words, "Malaysia Boleh, Sabah Boleh, SESB Tidak Boleh" (Malaysia Can, Sabah Can, SESB Cannot) from the battle cry "Malaysia Boleh". I guess, you now can add "SESB Masih Tidak Boleh" (SESB Still Cannot).

(214 words)